Aberdeenshire Council has been warned it would look like a “laughing stock” if permission is granted for an unauthorised Travellers’ site near St Cyrus.
Concerns have been raised that some Aberdeenshire Council departments are now supporting the latest bid for retrospective planning permission.
Comments to plans for a 10-stance caravan park and halting site for Travellers include responses by council roads, environmental health, housing, education and waste departments.
The response from a minority ethnic communities officer who works in the housing strategy department states: “The housing service support, in principle, the development of Gypsy/Traveller sites where there is an identified need in Aberdeenshire.
“The above proposal will help meet the accommodation needs of Gypsy/Travellers as detailed in the council’s Housing Need and Demand Assessment (2011) and the Local Housing Strategy (2013).”
The response from the education department states that the local primary and secondary schools do not have the capacity for pupils at the site.
However, the department still supports the application, stating: “Whilst we are restricted for capacity at St Cyrus School and Mearns Academy, this is retrospective permission for an already established halting site with children already accounted for and attending school.”
The roads department also has no objection if visibility and paving conditions are met.
The council’s waste department does not have any issue with the site.
Environmental health offers no objection so long as the site will be connected to the mains water supply.
A council spokesman said: “Representations from council services/officers are based on professional views.”
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is continuing to object on the basis that the site lies on a flood plain.
However, the latest submission from applicant Northesk Investments Ltd includes a new analysis of the flooding risks at the site by consultancy SLR which claims it does not lie within a flood plain.
Sepa’s response states that it has not studied in detail SLR’s report, but that it understands the site was flooded in 2002, 2012, 2013 prior to the development and on December 30 last year.
Residents at North Esk Park were asked to leave their caravans a fortnight ago due to concerns about rising water levels.
Sepa said it is still studying data collected on December 30 and is also investigating whether the development has put other properties at increased risk of flooding.
A resident who neighbours the site said the council would look like a “laughing stock” if it gave the go ahead.
North East MSP Alex Johnstone described the situation as “out of hand”, and said permission being granted would create a planning “free for all”.
The issue is likely to come before Aberdeenshire Council’s Kincardine and Mearns area committee in March and the full council at the end of April.
Mearns councillor Bill Howatson declined to comment on the live planning application.