Objections to Traveller applications

The proposal had been met with 162 objection letters but was approved by planners only to be flagged up at Monday’s mid-monthly council meeting.

DUP Councillor Robert Smith asked for the application from the Housing Executive to be deferred for a consultation meeting in light of the large number of objections.

The 12-pitch site would be located beside the Chrysalis Centre in Burnside.

Planning Service agreed to defer the application to be reviewed after the next consultation meeting.

Also deferred was the application to extend the existing Travellers’ site at Monbrief Road with two extra pitches and an amenity building.

Meanwhile, councillors reacted angrily to a proposal to extend planning permission for the temporary Travellers’ halting site at Moylinn House until February 2017.

Robert Smith commented: “By this time RPA will have kicked in and it will be up to council to sort this out. The site will have been here for 10 years by then and will get full permission by default.

“Are planners trying to push these applications through to extend the time frame so they become somebody else’s problem?”

The application was held for 10 days for further information.