Guestling Green and Rye on list for gypsy sites

LOCATIONS at Rye and Guestling have been ear-marked by Rother Council as potential traveller’s sites.

Chippings Depot, at Winchelsea Road, Rye, and Guestling Green Depot have both been included in a dirst draft shortlist of potential sites in the district, though nothing has been decided at the moment.

The shortlist also includes other potential locations for pitches across the district including on land at Westfield, Robertsbrigde, Ewhurst, Cripps Corner, Bexhill, and Flimwell.

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Rother District Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee was due to discuss the initial shortlist, which has been drawn up by council officers, at a meeting on Monday (July 23).

But the committee has put back a discussion on the issue.

Instead, councillors will carry out site visits before deciding which sites should remain on the shortlist.

This final list will then be put out to public consultation.

There are currently 15 pitches for travellers located across Rother - 11 of them with permanent planning permission.

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Four other pitches, at Battle, Ewhurst, Dallington and Flimwell, currently have temporary planning permission.

Another possibility identified by Rother would be adding an extra two or three pitches on land adjacent to the existing travellers site at Redlands in Robertsbridge, just off the A21.

The site, which is overcrowded and has a waiting list, currently has eight permanent pitches.

The Cripps Corner Highway Depot, Guestling Green Depot, Chippings Depot at Rye, land east at Down Edge in Westfield and land south west of Moor Lane, also in Westfield, have been identified as potential locations, along with two sites in west and north Bexhill.

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The final list, which could still be subject to change, was whittled down from an initial list of 850 sites.
A spokesperson for Rother District Council said: “The committee has decided to defer the consultation on the draft gypsy and traveller strategy until councillors have examined each of the proposed sites in more detail through site visits and have made further deliberations.

“Therefore the current draft strategy has been put on hold, pending revisions by councillors.

“Those locations identified in the paper put before Mondays night’s committee meeting may or may not feature in an updated document.

“Nothing has been decided. The council wants to make sure it has got the draft strategy absolutely right before going out to consultation.”

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