AN APPLICATION for a new traveller site has been approved by Bridgend County Council this week for land near the village of Pen-y-fai.
The site is located immediately to the south of the M4 motorway, fronting the eastern side of Old Coachman’s Lane, and consists of a triangular parcel of land, measuring approximately 0.16 hectares.
It will be developed by Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd, which could create an accommodation yard for travelling show persons, including three mobile lodges or caravans, two communal day rooms, and associated works.
Cllr Heidi Bennett, of Pen-y-fai, had requested that the application be decided by the development control committee after concerns were raised by constituents around a variety of issues such as highway and pedestrian safety.
Councillors also heard how six letters of objection had been received from residents during the consultation period, with other concerns over the visual amenity of the site, a potential lack of parking, and an encroachment on a public footpath.
However, officers said no objections had been raised from specialist consultees over the issues, adding that the application was consistent with the council’s gypsy and traveller accommodation assessment undertaken in 2020, which identified that seven pitches needed to be provided by 2033.
The proposal was passed by a recorded vote with all but one councillor voting in favour, approving the development subject to conditions, such as restricting the number of caravans on site to four at any one time.
