Combined Villages Group

Welcome to the website of the Combined Villages Group.

The Combined Villages Group (C.V.G.) was established in September 2009 in response to planning application FUL/2009/0533/NH, a proposal to establish a permanent gypsy caravan site in a field alongside the A47 Leicester Road in the parish of Belton in Rutland, Rutland. This application can be viewed in detail on the Rutland County Council website

The C.V.G. was established following a public meeting in Belton-In-Rutland at which over 150 people attended and unanimously voiced their concerns about the proposal.

This planning application was submitted to Rutland County Council in early September 2009 and is for a permanent gypsy caravan site with 16 individual plots, each plot containing two caravans, one permanent and one mobile. In addition there will be two motor vehicles per plot, one of which will be a commercial type vehicle. The application indicates that once planning permission is obtained, 12 of the 16 plots will be immediately occupied by families who between them have 23 children. Their plans also show an additional 16 ablution blocks.

The field in question is located on the Leicester bound side of the A47 opposite the lay-by used by Heavy Goods Vehicles at the bottom of Wardley Hill. The field was purchased in 2004 by a Mr Tony Button, who is a gypsy and currently living on a gypsy site in Northamptonshire. He has since sold plots on the field to other gypsies including members of the Biddle family. Other plots were purchased by gypsies living as far away as Wiltshire and Kent.

In 2005, attempts were made by some of the purchasers to move onto the site and establish a camp. Action was quickly taken by officers from Rutland County Council and a High Court Injunction was obtained preventing anyone from entering the field in order to establish residence. As a result those who had entered the field were evicted and fences that had already been erected to outline the plots were taken down. This Injunction will remain in place until such time as a planning decision overturns it. So far, no further attempt has been made by the owners to contravene planning laws.

The Combined Villages Group represents the interests of many Parish Councils and local Parish Meetings. The C.V.G. is democratically constituted with a core membership of a Chairperson and one representative from the Parish Councils/Meetings of five local villages.
In addition, non core membership is open to anyone else from the villages or surrounding area who may feel able to support us.

The C.V.G. is totally opposed to the application for many reasons. The group is aware, however, that objections against the application can only be made that relate to issues that are within planning guidelines. Consequently, many hours of research have been carried out by members in order to submit justifiable objections to Rutland County Council that are both relevant to local planning laws and Government dictates that give special dispensation to planning applications by gypsies.

The following is a run down of the work carried out by the C.V.G. so far:

· Hundreds of flyers have been distributed to local residents and businesses informing them of the application and its perceived implications. As a result, nearly 300 letters of objection have been submitted to Rutland County Council.
· A meeting has been held with our Member of Parliament, Mr Alan Duncan, who is very supportive of the group and who has submitted his own letter of objection.
· Meetings have been held with planning officers from Rutland County Council and the Police.
· Each village has submitted its own detailed letter of objection.
· Deputations have been prepared that will be read out at the Planning Committee Hearing.
· Updates have been prepared and distributed to keep residents informed of progress.

The application is to be heard at a specially convened Planning Committee Hearing to be held at 6.00pm in the Council Chamber at Rutland County Council, Catmose, Oakham on Tuesday 15^th December, 2009 . The C.V.G. urges as many people as possible to attend this hearing to demonstrate to Councillors the strength of feeling against this proposal.

IT IS STILL NOT TOO LATE TO WRITE YOUR LETTERS OF OBJECTION AS THESE WILL BE ACCEPTED UP UNTIL THE DAY OF THE COMMITTEE HEARING. GUIDELINES TO ASSIST YOU IN WRITING YOUR OBJECTION ARE POSTED ON THIS BLOG.