Plans for a new Travellers site near a north-east village have been approved despite multiple objections by residents.
Aberdeenshire Council has unanimously agreed to change the use of agricultural land at Smallburn, Clola into a site for three caravan pitches.
Each caravan will have access to two parking places and a wooden shed while a new turning area will also be formed.
Facilities ‘badly needed’
Councillors previously heard the facility is badly needed to provide Traveller families with somewhere to stay.
But locals have raised a litany of complaints claiming the spot isn’t suitable for such a development.
One concerned Hatton resident has even tried arguing Travellers staying at the site could find themselves injured by rusty poaching equipment left behind from days gone by.
In her letter of objection, Lesley Penny said: “I strongly believe that there are still a number of hidden historic snares there left from past poachers.
“Our family pet was snared by a poachers trap and lost the use of his hind legs then a couple of years later disappeared into the wood and it is believed that he got into sinking sand, could not get out and died.”
Fellow Hatton resident, Kevin Flett, raised issues about “unreliable drainage” at the site, poor public transport links and the possibility of noise coming from the caravans in his letter to the council.
Plans create ‘a great deal of concern’
Roslynn Keating lives adjacent to the field in question, and said the proposal had given her “a great deal of concern and worry”.
She added: “I strongly feel that it would have a detrimental effect on my family. We should not have the worry of having our water contaminated.”
Other concerns raised included the possibility that the number of Travellers on the site would be equal to the number of residents already living in the Smallburn community.
Several people argued that there was no need for another Traveller site so close to the council’s Aikey Brae camp six miles away at Maud.
In total 25 objections
In total the new plan received 25 objections from residents.
Objectors also urged councillors to visit the site to see their concerns for themselves.
The application previously went before the Buchan Area Committee in August for local councillors to give their views on the plan.
Councillor Norman Smith noted he had concerns about water supply and drainage at the site while fellow councillor Stephen Calder had said that refusing the plan could “potentially leave the family with nowhere to live and limit their access to education and local services”.
Prior to today’s meeting Aberdeenshire Council planners had recommended the application be approved subject to conditions.
They said the site would have “appropriate” infrastructure and met council policy.
Planners also said that they were happy with the site design and added that it complied with the Aberdeenshire Local Development Plan.
Two previous applications similar to this had been submitted to Aberdeenshire Council but were refused.
The last proposal submitted in 2019 was rejected as it was not made clear whether a suitable water supply and drainage system could service the site.