The Parish Council (PC) and Little Hadham Conservation Society (LHCS) are urging all residents to respond to the latest public consultation on the allocation of additional pitches to gypsies and travellers in East Herts.

At an earlier stage in proceedings, consultants employed by East Herts Council listed two sites in Little Hadham as possible locations.  This consultation, for which the deadline is May 22 2009, is concerned with site numbers, not locations, but it is vitally important for people to register their views.

This eight-week consultation arises over the Government’s decision to support the recommendation of a public inquiry panel that not only endorsed plans for 15 additional pitches in East Herts, as suggested by the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA), but advocated a further five pitches, making 20 in total.

Some of the key points made by the Parish Council in its evidence to the public inquiry were:

• Gypsy and traveller sites should only be located where there is evidence of need and employment opportunities
• Research by East Herts Council indicates a lower level of allocation than the original number proposed by EERA. It would be wrong to meet overall need by an attempt to create artificially an ‘even’ spread across the region
• Green Belt ‘rural exception sites’ for travellers sets a dangerous precedent and endangers wildlife
• Because of the geographical nature of the village, a traveller site in Little Hadham would endanger community cohesion and privacy
• Little Hadham would fail the test of making provision within a major settlement. Any additional settlement would increase the risk of flooding
• Any attempt to create a transit site would create a particular problem in Little Hadham as the congested A120 is the only artery through the village

The consultation can be found on the GO-East website via: www.go-east.gov.uk/goeast/news/806265

The Parish Council will agree a response at its next meeting (Tuesday May 5, 8pm, Village Hall) and copies can be provided afterwards by the clerk by clicking here to contact the Parish Clerk

Copies of LHCS’s response will also be made available.