A Trowbridge family have successfully appealed Wiltshire Council’s refusal to grant permission for a traveller site at Southwick.

Patrick McDonagh, 49, won two appeals (Appeal A and Appeal B) allowing him to station residential caravans and build stables on two plots of land at The Poplars Residential Park in Poplar Tree Lane.

In Appeal C, Bridget McDonagh also successfully appealed the council’s refusal to grant planning permission to develop the land without complying with a condition imposed with a previous planning approval.

Her application sought planning permission for the change of use of agricultural land to extend an existing gypsy and traveller site, including the building of two additional day rooms and entrance walls and gate, without complying with a planning condition attached to an application dated August 21 2015.

This condition restricted occupation of the land to Laurence Cash (Senior), Mrs Teresa Cash, Jerry Cash, Jacqueline Cash, Laurence Cash (Junior), Mary Doherty and their resident dependants, and restoring it to its original condition should they move out.

All three planning applications were refused by Wiltshire Council in November 2018.

The McDonagh family also applied for costs against Wiltshire Council. These applications are the subjects of separate decisions.

Planning inspector Tim Wood said that Wiltshire Council’s reasons for refusal, based on highway safety and site drainage, could be suitably dealt with by imposing planning conditions.

The number of caravans will be limited to two on each site for the first two appeals, and to seven for Mrs McDonagh’s appeal.

Mr Wood, who visited the site on June 14, said: “I consider that is reasonable that one of these on each pitch could be a larger static type.”

He said Wiltshire Council could impose planning conditions preventing any commercial activities on the land, including burning material in the open, and restricting the size of vehicles parked there to a maximum 3.5 tonnes.

These conditions would safeguard the visual appearance of the site and the living conditions of nearby local residents, he said.

Mr Wood added: “The effects of granting Appeal C are that the site would be occupied by persons other than those originally specified in the original permission, and potentially unrelated to each other.

“I am satisfied that this would have no unacceptable effects on the number of vehicle and pedestrian movements to and from the site and would give rise to no unacceptable safety effects. Therefore, all three appeals are successful.”