Agenda item

A report from the Cabinet Member for Safer and Stronger Communities is enclosed.

Under the Council’s Petition Scheme the petition organiser may address the meeting for up to 3 minutes and may be asked questions on the subject matter of the petition. The organiser may nominate another person to address the meeting and to answer any questions on the matter.

Council are required to debate the Petition. Council may then refer the petition to the appropriate decision making body for further considerations.

(A copy of the full petition is available on request and will be available at the meeting).

A petition with 5,543 signatures had been submitted by the CATS Group (Crewe Against Travellers Sites) which read as follows:

“I wish to register my protest against the building of a permanent traveller site at the junction of Parkers Road and Kents Lane in Coppenhall.”

Councillor C Thorley referred to an earlier petition on the matter containing 1,500 signatures.

The petition followed widespread publicity that the Council intended to submit a planning application for a residential Gypsy & Traveller site on land in its ownership. The Petition requested that the matter be debated at a full meeting of the Council and highlighted several reasons against both the principle of providing a site and its provision at this particular location.

The Council’s planning application was due to be considered by the Strategic Planning Board.

At the invitation of the Mayor, the Head Petitioner, Mr Perris, addressed the Council meeting. Mr Perris, who was Chairman of the CATS Group, which opposed the current proposal on the grounds of improper use of taxpayers’ money, an improper site selection process, potential traffic hazards, threat to protected wildlife, lack of school facilities and lack of a plan to integrate the travellers into the local community.

Members were afforded the opportunity to ask questions of Mr Perris.

Mrs Roz Buchanan attended the meeting on behalf of Mr Edward Timpson MP and, at the invitation of the Mayor, read out a statement by Mr Timpson in support of the petition.

In considering the petition, Members also had regard to the report of the Strategic Director, Places and Organisational Capacity.

It was moved and seconded that

1.      “the Council notes that the planning merits of the proposed site are a matter devolved for  consideration by the Strategic Planning Board;

2.      in the event that planning permission is granted, Cabinet will consider matters relating to the construction, funding and management of the site.”

AMENDMENT

The following amendment was moved and seconded:

“That Cheshire East Council withdraw the planning application and look for an alternative site.”

A requisition for a named vote on the amendment was submitted and duly supported in accordance with the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 15.2.

The amendment was put to the meeting with the following results:

The amendment was declared lost, with 22 votes for, 30 against and 23 abstentions.

Members then voted on the substantive motion.

RESOLVED

That

1.      The Council notes that the planning merits of the proposed site are a matter devolved for  consideration by the Strategic Planning Board; and

2.      In the event that planning permission is granted, Cabinet will consider matters relating to the construction, funding and management of the site.