Ombudsmen to investigate gipsy site? (From Wiltshire Times)

Ombudsmen to investigate gipsy site?

2:12pm Thursday 2nd October 2008

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A PARISH council is taking action against a decision to grant planning permission for an gipsy site in the village.

A public meeting was held in Semington Village Hall last Thursday after villagers expressed their anger over the decision to allow Patrick Ward and his family to live on the land next to West Wiltshire Crematorium for another three years, despite the fact they set up home illegally after buying the land.

The parish council said the decision set an unfair precedent.

Chairman Robert Oglesby said around 60 residents turned up to the meeting and many Felt they would not have been treated the same way if they had flaunted planning laws.

He said: "We are looking into making representations to an ombudsman now. That is the next step. We explored several options including a judicial review, but that was not something we could afford as a council.

"I think people feel that retrospective planning permission is for genuine planning errors and mistakes, not something like this."

District councillor Virginia Fortescue attended the meeting to answer questions from the public.

Cllr Oglesby said she had been brave to come along, but people had felt let down by the district council and wanted answers.

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