8.Black Quarry Site - PLYMOUTH.GOV.UK · Authority Gypsy/Traveller Sites in England” July 2003) Permanent Sites - 12-20no pitches (2340m2 – 3900m2) + expansion space. 12m width

8.Black Quarry Site

9. Black Quarry QUESTIONNAIRE SITE: Black Quarry (0.5ha) Objectives and Criteria Comments Suitability

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1.0 On site provision. This includes sufficient provision for internal circulation provision to highways standards play areas, animal grazing, boundary & entrance controls where relevant.

1.1 Pitches. Criteria: based on 195m2 per pitch (including for internal

circulation, residents and visitor parking) (ref ODPM “ Local Authority Gypsy/Traveller Sites in England” July 2003) Permanent Sites - 12-20no pitches (2340m2 – 3900m2) + expansion space. 12m width. Transit Sites – provision for 15no max pitches (2925m2) Temporary Stopping Places - no min or max figures given.

This is the smallest of the four sites at only 0.5 hectares. It could hold approximately 22 pitches at 195msq each (allowing 10% of the site for circulation). Despite the small size, the site could be used for any of the three types of Gypsy/Traveller sites with a small amount of extra available land for expansion.

1.2 Grazing. n/a

Criteria: based on 0.8ha per horse. There is no available space on site for grazing stock neither is there any land adjacent to the site which could be utilised.

1.3 Play Areas. n/a

Criteria: based on a maximum of 20 pitches, the population of a permanent site could be in the region of (20 x 3.13) 63 people. The NPFA recommends a minimum standard for outdoor playing space of 2.4 hectares (6 acres) for 1,000 people therefore allowance for play provision should be in the region of 1500m2 max although not all of this would necessarily need to be provided on site.

There is one play ground situated on Southern Way which is within the neighbourhood walk zone. The site is relatively small and holds 22 pitches, therefore the population would be 73, requiring a LAP of at least 100 square metres to be incorporated into the site.

1.4 Shared amenity block/day room. n/a n/a

Criteria: that the site has spare capacity beyond its minimum requirement for no of pitches.

Despite the small size of the site there is still ample room for a small amenity block especially if the site held only the minimum number of pitches.

1.5 Future development. Criteria: that the site has spare capacity beyond its

minimum requirement for no of pitches. There is a very small amount of room for future development on site.

1.6 Business area. n/a

Criteria: that the site has spare capacity beyond its minimum requirement for no of pitches to accommodate

There is a very small amount room for business premises if the site were to hold only the minimum number of pitches

business premises. 1.7 Communal refuse and recycling storage areas. Criteria: that there should be sufficient space for communal

refuse storage and collection near the site entrance. There would be a small amount of space in which to store refuse and as the site is located close to residential areas there is an existing refuse disposal service operating within the area.

1.8 Street lighting. Criteria: that the site is able to have street lighting without

detrimental affect surrounding land uses. Providing the site with street lighting should not cause an adverse affect to the surrounding land uses as it is situated within a built up area which has existing street lighting.

1.9 Boundaries. Criteria: that the site is able to be fenced and secured. (say

1.8m vertical bar fencing?) The site is already secure with quarry walls binding it on three sides and a chain link fence and gate on the fourth side. There is no reason why the site should not stay secure.

2.0 Off site provision. 2.1 Services. Criteria: it is assumed that the site is or can be connected

to all statutory services (electricity, gas, telephone, mains water and sewerage) if its entrance or boundaries lie adjacent to adopted highways.

The site is situated within a residential / urban area so it is assumed that there is potential for the connection to statutory electricity, gas, mains water and sewerage supplies.

2.2 Access. Criteria: that the site can be designed to have vehicular

access designed to Highways adoptable standards. Note this would need to be checked in more detail by PCC Highways Dept.

There is easy access to the site from Elburton Road. The site is at road level and therefore no change in level would have to be negotiated. The site could easily be made secure. At present it is surrounded on three sides by an old quarry wall and on the fourth side by a fence and gate.

2.3 Traveller Routes. n/a Criteria: that the site should have good, reasonably direct

access to the key routes out of the city. The predominant route is the A38 to the west and east, and the A386 northwards.

The site lies on the A379 which runs parallel to the A38. It can be accessed from the A38 at the South Brent Junction, avoiding Plymouth City Centre. Although the A379 is a major route it is unlikely that travellers would use it unless they were travelling into or out of Plymouth city centre or avoiding the A38. Of the four sites, Black Quarry is situated furthest from the A38 making it least suitable as a temporary stopping place.

2.4 Public Transport. Criteria: the site should be within walking distance of bus

stops (a neighbourhood facility - 5min / 250m distance) and / or train station (a district facility – 20min / 1.7km distance).

Situated on Elburton Road, (one of the main routes leading into the city centre) there are six bus routes which run past the entrance to the site. (buses 5, 6, 18, 91, 92 & 94) These create good links to the city centre, Derriford Hospital, The Railway Station, Salt Ash, Plymstock, Yealmpton, St. Budeaux and Totnes.

2.5 Employment. n/a

Criteria: to determine whether people can work locally, the site should lie within or adjacent to a neighbourhood that has a good or moderate job ratio ie between 0.7 and 1.0. (This is worked out, using Census data, by dividing the number of local jobs in an area by the number of economically active people.) It is also based on local knowledge of locations of areas of employment.

The site is situated within the neighbourhood of Plymstock which has a high job ratio of 0.80. There may be a large number of potential jobs available to the travellers. Hazeldene Quarry is in close proximity to the site and may provide local employment opportunities. The site is also situated on one of the main routes leading into the city centre where other employment opportunities may be on offer.

3.0 Access to Facilities. A gypsy/ traveller site should be located in close proximity to as wide a range of facilities as possible, including schools, local shops, GPs & dentists, a range of open space and public transport provision. These facilities are deemed important for permanent sites but less important for transit and temporary sites.

3.1 Education. n/a

Criteria: Crèches, nurseries, primary, secondary and colleges / higher education establishments should be located at appropriate walking distances from the site. (Crèches, nurseries & primary schools are local facilities – 3 min / 250m; secondary schools and colleges / higher education are district facilities 20min / 1.7km).

There is a Primary School (Dunstone School) located within the recommended walking distance. In addition to this there are four more primary schools (Pomphlett School, Downham School, Goosewell School and Elburton Primary School) and a crèche outside of the recommended 250m walk zone but within 1700m of the site.

3.2 Health. n/a

Criteria: Health centres and / or dentists should be located at appropriate walking distances from the site. (Health centres and dentists are district facilities - 20min / 1.7km).

Three health centres are situated within the recommended 1700m walk zone. These are located on Horn Lane, Stanborough Road and Wembury Road.

3.3 Amenities. Criteria: Neighbourhood facilities should be located within

the recommended 400m walk zone of the site. District facilities should be located within the recommended 1700m walk zone of the site. These facilities are deemed important for permanent site but less important for transit and temporary sites.

Neighbourhood facilities within the recommended five minute walk zone include a pub and a community centre. There are also a number of district facilities within the recommended walk zone which include five churches, two secondary schools and a superstore.

3.4 Open space. Criteria: There should be a range of playgrounds, informal

recreation and formal sports facilities at appropriate walking distances from the site. (Greens and playgrounds are local facilities – 3min / 250m; neighbourhood sports facilities and small parks are neighbourhood facilities – 5min / 400m; large parks and district sports facilities are district facilities – 20min / 1.7km). A moderate to good provision is judged dependant on whether there is at least one area of both informal and formal greenspace of neighbourhood importance. (Ref Local Plan Greenscape Schedule.)

There are a large number of green spaces within the district walk zone of the Black Quarry site. These have a varying importance for sport and formal and informal recreation. Space 339 has a citywide importance for informal recreation, spaces 334 and 333 have a district importance and spaces 109 (Chelson Meadows), 208, 374 and 388 all have a neighbourhood importance for informal recreation. Spaces 339 and 340 have a citywide importance for sport and formal recreation, space 376 has a district importance and spaces 209, 382, 388 and 390 all have a neighbourhood importance for sport and formal recreation.

4.0 The Social Environment. Permanent gypsy sites should have the opportunity to mix cohesively with the neighbouring communities. 4.1 Existing communities. Criteria: Does the site lie adjacent to existing, residential

communities? The site is situated within Plymstock and is surrounded by a large residential area.

4.2 Incompatible neighbours. Criteria: Does the site lie adjacent to land uses that would

be detrimentally affected by being located next to gypsy and traveller sites. For example crèches ???

There does not seem to be any neighbouring land uses which would be adversely affected by being located adjacent to a travellers’ site.

5.0 Environmental Considerations. A gypsy/traveller site should be not be located where there is a significant level of contamination, pollution or nuisance caused by neighbouring uses including air quality, noise, odour etc

5.1 Adverse environmental health factors. Criteria: The site should not lie in close proximity to land

uses that might have a detrimental effect on residents. The level at which these could affect each neighbourhood will depend on the individual source of nuisance (and can vary depending on climatic conditions). For the purposes of this study, an across the board rule has been taken that a macro issue may have a detrimental effect on a site if it is within 1km of the site. The macro factors agreed with PCC are: Air quality (traffic) • Mutley Plain / Exeter Street Odours – sewage processing sites • Cattedown, Finnigan Road / Marsh Mills, Marshall Road • Ernesettle, Ernesettle Lane / Camel’s Head, Saltash Rd • Radford, Hooe Road Odours - fish processing • Interfish Ltd, Wallsend Industrial Estate, Cattedown Road Noise • Plymouth Airport, Derriford / Moorcroft Quarry, Elburton Waste management sites • Galileo Cl, Plympton / Chelson Meadow, Billacombe Rd

There are currently no adverse environmental health factors affecting the Black Quarry site.

5.2 Microclimate. Criteria: Does the site’s topography or location mean that it

is likely to have an exposed or sheltered microclimate. The site faces north and is bound on three sides by a high quarry wall which helps to create a favourable micro-climate, sheltered from winds coming from the south. The orientation of the quarry wall may block out some sun light but this would not adversely affect the site a great deal.

5.3 Flooding risks. Criteria: The site is considered to be at risk of flooding if the The risk of any part of the site flooding is less than 1:1000 years.

risk is considered greater than 1:1000 year.(ref Environment Agency)

6.0 A suitable location. A Gypsy or Traveller site should not be located in areas where conventional bricks and mortar housing would not be considered suitable.

6.1 Criteria: would the site, theoretically, be equally suitable for permanent bricks and mortar housing. This has been judged based on the physical nature of the site and in relation to good urban design principles regarding proximity to other communities, facilities and appropriate adjacent land uses.

The Black Quarry site is situated on Elburton Road, one of the main routes leading into the city centre. Therefore it has very good access and only a very slight change in level has to be negotiated when entering. It is surrounded by residential development which also includes a number of local, neighbourhood and district facilities. The site does not lie within a conservation area, an important green space or environmentally sensitive area. The visual impact of this travellers site would be minimal as it is enclosed on three sides by high quarry walls. On the fourth side there is no residential development directly facing it, instead, a green space which wraps around Hazeldene Quarry.

7.0 SUMMARY OF OPTIONS A brief resume based on the above criteria to conclude on how suitable the site is for each of the 3 types of Gypsy/Traveller Sites and, where appropriate, which type of use is

the most appropriate. Based on the above criteria, the Black Quarry site could be suitable for all 3 types of Gypsy site. The site is marginally more appropriate as a transit or permanent site for a number of reasons. The site is well located within a residential / urban area rather than being located on the edge of the city separated from other development and facilities. This may make social inclusion much easier and provides the Gypsy / Travellers with a good range of amenities and facilities. There are no environmental health factors which adversely affect the site and favourable living conditions are created by a sheltered micro-climate. It is not located within an important green space or sensitive area and development on the site would not have a large visual impact on the surrounding area. It’s location on Elburton Road which leads west into the city centre and east to a more rural environment makes access easy and local employment opportunities may arise from either of these two locations or Hazeldene Quarry which is in close proximity. Although it is on this main route, it is unlikely that the travellers would use it unless they were travelling from Plymouth city centre. The site is the furthest (out of the four sites) from the A38 and therefore is least suitable as a temporary stopping place.

Key n/a Objective / criteria not applicable. The site meets the requirements of the criteria. Meets requirements for type of site. / appropriate provision??

Does not meet the requirements for type of site.

9. Coypool Site

10. Coypool QUESTIONNAIRE SITE: Coypool (33.1ha) Objectives and Criteria Comments Suitability

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Coypool is the largest of the four sites at 33.1 hectares. This means that the maximum number of pitches (20no + visitor space for permanent sites) could easily be accommodated within a portion of the site.

1.2 Grazing. n/a

Criteria: based on 0.8ha per horse. As the site is so large there could be a large amount of available space to accommodate grazing animals.

1.3 Play Areas. n/a


The Coypool site could easily accommodate the required provision for local play. (At present there are no play grounds surrounding the site.)



As the site is large , there would be ample room for a shared amenity block or day room.


minimum requirement for no of pitches. There is room for potential future development on the site.


Criteria: that the site has spare capacity beyond its The site could easily accommodate business premises in addition to the minimum (or

minimum requirement for no of pitches to accommodate business premises.

maximum) number of travellers’ pitches.

1.7 Communal refuse and recycling storage areas. Criteria: that there should be sufficient space for communal

refuse storage and collection near the site entrance. There is sufficient space for communal refuse storage and as the site is situated close to a residential area there will be an existing refuse collection servicing the area.


detrimental affect surrounding land uses. The site should be able to have street lighting without causing detrimental affect to the surrounding land uses.


1.8m vertical bar fencing?) At present the site is privately owned and is secured with fencing. Therefore there would be no problem securing the site in future.



Considering the current use of the site it can be assumed that there is potential to connect the site to the mains water supply, electricity, gas and the sewerage system.



Coypool Road leads up to the site making it easily accessible. The current uses of the site have created a series of terraces into the generally sloping hill side which may cause problems of access and circulation within the site.



The site is very close to the A38. It is situated just off of the Marsh Mills junction and would be easily accessible from this road. The location of the site also means that travelling through the city centre could be avoided.



There is a number of bus routes which serve the area and bus stops are located within the recommended five minute walk zone of the site. Buses 19, 20/A, 21, 22 and 51 connect the area to the city centre, Newnham, Chaddlewood, Lipson Vale and Plympton Ridgeway.

2.5 Employment. n/a

Criteria: to determine whether people can work locally, the site should lie within or adjacent to a neighbourhood that has a good or moderate job ratio ie between 0.7 and 1.0.

The neighbourhood of Woodford, where the site is situated has a moderate job ratio of 0.7. therefore providing a good number of potential jobs for the travellers.

(This is worked out, using Census data, by dividing the number of local jobs in an area by the number of economically active people.) It is also based on local knowledge of locations of areas of employment.

Parkway industrial estate is in close proximity to the site and may provide some local employment opportunities. There is also very easy access into the city centre where more employment opportunities may be on offer.


3.1 Education. n/a


There are no education facilities or crèches within the recommended walk zones. However there is a primary school (Woodford Infant and Junior School), a crèche and a secondary school (Heles School) located outside of the local and neighbourhood walk zones but within the district walk zone.

3.2 Health. Criteria: Health centres and / or dentists should be located

at appropriate walking distances from the site. (Health centres and dentists are district facilities - 20min / 1.7km).

There is one health centre located within the recommended walk zone, this is situated on Larkham Lane.



Coypool is poorly served by local facilities. There is currently a number of individual shops but these are located outside of the recommended walk zone. Neighbourhood facilities within the recommended five minute walk zone are a community centre, post office and bus stops. Outside of the neighbourhood walk zone there is a post office, a shopping hub and two pubs. District facilities include a health centre, a secondary school and two churches.


recreation and formal sports facilities at appropriate walking distances from the site. (Greens and playgrounds are local facilities – 3min / 250m; neighbourhood sports facilities and small parks are neighbourhood facilities – 5min / 400m; large parks and district sports facilities are district facilities – 20min / 1.7km). A moderate to good provision is judged dependant on whether there is at least one area of both informal and formal greenspace of neighbourhood importance. (Ref Local Plan Greenscape Schedule.)

There is a number of green spaces surrounding the Coypool site although they do not all have an importance for formal and informal recreation. Spaces 097 and 191 have a regional importance for informal recreation. Space 110 has a citywide importance, spaces 155, 156 and 196 have a district importance and spaces 162, 166, 199, 201 and 300 all have a neighbourhood importance for informal recreation. Space 191 also has a regional importance for sport and formal recreation. Space 097 has a district importance, space 197 has a citywide importance, space 097 has a district importance and spaces 200 and 205 both have a neighbourhood importance for sport and formal recreation. The area seems to be lacking in play facilities as there are none within the recommended walking distance of the site.

4.0 The Social Environment. Permanent gypsy sites should have the opportunity to mix cohesively with the neighbouring communities.

4.1 Existing communities. Criteria: Does the site lie adjacent to existing, residential

communities? The site lies within the neighbourhood of Woodford and is close to a large residential area. However it is severed from this by part of green space number 111.



There are no adjacent land uses which would be detrimentally affected by being located next to a Travellers’ site. However, as the site is so large it can accommodate a number of different uses which would all have to be compatible with the Gypsy / Travellers’ site. A designated Gypsy / Travellers area should be located where residential development would be permitted, in the south/east of the site, in close proximity to existing residential areas and to facilities and amenities currently located within the neighbourhood.




There may be a problem with contamination considering the present usage of the site as a china clay works. If contamination has occurred, appropriate measures should be taken to decontaminate the site before gypsy/travellers are permitted to use it.


is likely to have an exposed or sheltered microclimate. The site is situated on the lower slopes of a small valley and therefore feels quite sheltered.

5.3 Flooding risks. Criteria: The site is considered to be at risk of flooding if the


The risk of any part of the site flooding is less than 1:1000 years.



The Coypool site lies within the Woodford neighbourhood to the east of Plymouth city centre. It is in close proximity to a large residential area which also houses small, individual shops, schools and churches among other amenities. There is currently good access to the site via Coypool Road although levels within the site can be quite steep (up to 1:6) The visual impact of the settlement would not be greatly different in impact to the uses that are currently on site and the land does not lie on any important green space.


the most appropriate. A summary of the above criteria indicated that the Coypool site would be suitable for any of the three types of gypsy / travellers’ site although it may be more suitable as a transit or permanent site. The size of the site means that there are opportunities for other uses on site and these would need to be compatible with Gypsy/Traveller site uses. It is situated in the neighbourhood of Woodford surrounded by residential development and a number of different facilities. Although there are no local facilities within the recommended walking distance there is a number of local shops just outside of this area, there is also a good range of neighbourhood and district facilities within the recommended walking distance. Temporary stopping places do not require a good range of community facilities whereas transit and permanent sites do. Due to its location and surrounding development there should not be any reason why the site would not be permitted development. The large size means there would be room for grazing animals if the travellers wished to. There is a good provision of open green space surrounding the site which is important for transit and permanent sites. There is also potential for local employment opportunities in Parkway Industrial Estate or the city centre (which would help with social inclusion) which is easy to access from the site via private or public transport.

Key n/a Objective / criteria not applicable. The site meets the requirements of the criteria.


10. Ernesettle Site

11. Ernesettle QUESTIONNAIRE SITE: Ernesettle (3.6ha) Objectives and Criteria Comments Suitability

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The Ernesettle site is approximately 3.6 hectares which could hold approximately 170 pitches of 195 square metres in size (allowing for 10% of the site for circulation) which is above the maximum number required.

1.2 Grazing. Criteria: based on 0.8ha per horse. The site is large enough to accommodate grazing animals at 0.8 hectares per horse.

There are also green spaces surrounding the site which could be used for grazing animals.

1.3 Play Areas. n/a


The Ernesettle site could easily accommodate the required provision for local play. There are no play grounds within the recommended walking distance of the site.



There would be spare capacity beyond the minimum number of Travellers’ pitches for a shared amenity block.


minimum requirement for no of pitches. There would also be spare capacity for future development on site although the nature of this and its suitability to the area should be considered.


Criteria: that the site has spare capacity beyond its minimum requirement for no of pitches to accommodate business premises.

There would be spare capacity to accommodate business premises along with the minimum requirement for Travellers’ pitches.

1.7 Communal refuse and recycling storage areas. Criteria: that there should be sufficient space for communal

refuse storage and collection near the site entrance. There would be sufficient space for communal refuse storage on the site and there would be good access for refuse collection from Ernesettle Lane.


detrimental affect surrounding land uses. The site is bordered on one side by Ernesettle Lane which has existing street lighting so it can be assumed that there is potential for street lighting within the site. There are no surrounding land uses which would be adversely affected by the provision of street lighting within the site.


1.8m vertical bar fencing?) At present the site is surrounded by chain link fencing so there should be no reason why the site could not remain secure.



Considering the surrounding land uses it is assumed that there is potential to connect the site to mains water, gas, electricity and the sewerage system.



The site is bordered on one side by Ernesettle lane which is a quiet road used mainly for access to the sewage works. Access to the site could be created from this road. There is little change in level between the road and the site so access should be straight forward.



The A38 runs approximately 500m to the south of the site. Ernesettle Lane links the site with the A38 making it easily accessible from this main travellers’ route.



There are two bus routes serving the site. Buses 26 and 46 run past the site along Ernesettle Lane every 30 minutes. These link the site with the city centre, Derriford Hospital, Whitleigh, Stoke, Devonport and Southway.

2.5 Employment. Criteria: to determine whether people can work locally, the

site should lie within or adjacent to a neighbourhood that has a good or moderate job ratio ie between 0.7 and 1.0.

The neighbourhood of Ernesettle has a very high job ratio of 0.90. However, the neighbourhood may not be able to absorb any future need for employment. With the lack

(This is worked out, using Census data, by dividing the number of local jobs in an area by the number of economically active people.) It is also based on local knowledge of locations of areas of employment.

of facilities in the surrounding area and no facilities within close proximity to the site, there seems to be little in the way of local employment opportunities. The city centre is easily accessible so some employment may be provided there.


3.1 Education. n/a


There are no primary schools located within the recommended 3 or 5 minute walk zones of the site. Two secondary schools are located within the recommended walk zones, these are Mount Tamar School and Tamarside Community College. However, located outside of the recommended walk zones but within the district walk zone there are a number of different education facilities. These include Mill Ford Community Special School, Ernesettle Infant and Junior School, Know Primary School, St. Budeaux Foundation C of E Junior School, Plaistow Hill Infant School, St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Primary School.

3.2 Health. Criteria: Health centres and / or dentists should be located

at appropriate walking distances from the site. (Health centres and dentists are district facilities - 20min / 1.7km).

There is one health centre within the recommended walking distance (1700m) of the site, this is situated on Uxbridge Drive.



The site is also poorly served by local and neighbourhood facilities. There are none within the recommended three or five minute walk zone of the site. Just outside of this walk zone, situated on Hornchurch Road there is a shopping hub comprising of eight different shops. Slightly further from the site but within the district walk zone there is another shopping hub situated on Victoria Road (in the adjacent neighbourhood of St. Budeaux). District facilities include a library and community centre located on Duxford Close.


recreation and formal sports facilities at appropriate walking distances from the site. (Greens and playgrounds are local facilities – 3min / 250m; neighbourhood sports facilities and small parks are neighbourhood facilities – 5min / 400m; large parks and district sports facilities are district facilities – 20min / 1.7km). A moderate to good provision is judged dependant on whether there is at least one area of both informal and formal greenspace of neighbourhood importance. (Ref

There is a large number of green spaces surrounding the Ernesettle site which have a varying importance for formal and informal recreation. Space 046 (where the site is situated) has a citywide importance for informal recreation. Spaces 049 and 079 have a district importance and spaces 021, 023, 027, 045, 054, 055, 056, 057, 058, 060 and 281 have a neighbourhood importance for informal recreation. Spaces 044 and 046 have a citywide importance for sport and formal recreation. Spaces 060 and 079 have a district importance and spaces 021, 042, 054, 055 and 281 all have

Local Plan Greenscape Schedule.) a neighbourhood importance for spot and formal recreation. These are all situated within the district walk zone (1700m) of the site.

4.0 The Social Environment. Permanent gypsy sites should have the opportunity to mix cohesively with the neighbouring communities. 4.1 Existing communities. Criteria: Does the site lie adjacent to existing, residential

communities? The site does not lie adjacent to existing residential communities. There are no residential areas within close proximity of the site.



The site does not lie adjacent to any land uses which may be adversely affected by being situated near to a travellers’ site.




A sewage works is situated at the end of Ernesettle Lane however this is outside the recommended 250m walk zone of the site and therefore is unlikely to have an adverse affect on the area. There are no other environmental health factors affecting the site.


is likely to have an exposed or sheltered microclimate. The positioning of the site gives very good views over the estuary but also causes the site to feel quite exposed in bad weather especially to winds coming up the estuary from the south west. Measures could be taken to increase the amount of shelter on the site by cutting into the slope to create lower, flatter land for pitches and incorporating some sort of screening, possibly in the form of planting.

5.3 Flooding risks. Criteria: The site is considered to be at risk of flooding if the


The risk of any part of the site flooding is less than 1:1000 years.



The Ernesettle site has good access. It is located on Ernesettle Lane which links onto Crownhill Road (B3413) and The Parkway (A38). However, It is situated in the middle of an area of largely undeveloped open, green space. Existing development in the area is sporadic and includes Ernesettle Depot, a sewage works and a very small residential development all of which are located outside of the local walk zone surrounding the site. It is poorly served by amenities and facilities, the closest shopping hub being approximately 1.2km away. The site is situated on land sloping towards the estuary. Any form of development on this land would have a large visual impact on the surrounding area. The site also makes up part of green space 046 which has a citywide importance for informal recreation, sport and formal recreation, separation and buffer and access corridors. It also has a district importance for habitats and species. Consideration for the importance of this green space should be given before locating the Gypsy / Travellers site in this location.


the most appropriate. There are a number of criteria which make this site unsuitable for development of a Gypsy / Travellers’ site. The location of the site and lack of development and facilities on land surrounding it would create a very unsustainable development. The closest amenity is the shopping hub situated approximately 1.2km from the site. The site slopes towards the estuary and is surrounded by undeveloped, open green space so there would be a very large visual impact on the surrounding landscape. Part of the surrounding green space is number 046 (of which the site forms part of) which has a citywide importance for informal recreation, sport and formal recreation, access corridors and separation and buffer. It also has a district importance for habitats and species. Development on land which holds such importance for a number of green space criteria should be given much consideration. The site is also exposed to the weather as it lies close to and facing the estuary, it is also on sloping ground which would require pitches to be cut into the slope. Wind breaks and screening would have to be incorporated to create a more favourable micro-climate. The site does have some positive factors which included the potential to connect to services, it is close to the A38 and there are no environmental health issues associated with it, however these seem to be outweighed by the negative factors and therefore it is recommended that the Ernesettle site is not developed as any of the three forms of Gypsy / Travellers’ site.

Key n/a Objective / criteria not applicable. The site meets the requirements of the criteria. Meets requirements for type of site. / appropriate provision??


Documents

8.Black Quarry Site - PLYMOUTH.GOV.UK · Authority Gypsy/Traveller Sites in England” July 2003) Permanent Sites - 12-20no pitches (2340m2 – 3900m2) + expansion space. 12m width