Councillors reject ‘unustified’ Cayton caravan plan

​David Swiers’ proposal to erect a caravan lodge to provide housing for an agricultural worker has been refused due to a lack of evidence and justification for the proposal at Chelson Fields, Killerby, Scarborough.

​The applicant said the accommodation was needed for the security of the site and welfare of the livestock, but officers who conducted a site visit said they found “no evidence of this livestock” except for four alpacas, three sheep, two ponies, and one chicken.

​The agent for the application had requested a deferral of the decision citing “errors” in the planning report and stating that additional information would be submitted.

​Cllr Derek Bastiman said: “I would have thought that if the agent or the applicant knew there were errors within the report, then they would have been here today to point those errors out.”

​No public speakers attended the meeting on Thursday, February 12, and officers said that the agent had not specified what they believed the errors to be.

​“There is no justification for the siting of the caravan and agricultural dwelling on the site based on the needs of the existing operations or the operations set out in the supporting information,” an officer told the committee.

​He added: “It has not been demonstrated that the proposed development is essential to farming, the plan could negatively affect the landscape, and no information has been provided regarding biodiversity net gain based on the existing site.

​“No additional information can be submitted that would overcome the first and second basis for refusal.”

​Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Subash Sharma said: “I see no signs of any agricultural activity taking place and I think the viability aspect is important, inasmuch as the minimum requirement is that somebody must be able to earn a full-time wage from it.”

​He told colleagues: “Since there isn’t any agricultural activity taking place, I don’t see how that can happen.

​“I don’t understand the basis of this application, and I think, should it ever be represented, we would need to see some viability to show that it’s feasible to employ a full-time worker to be there, and necessary for a 24-hour operation to require it.

​“None of that is available to us, and there’s nothing to indicate that anything like that has taken place.”

​Officers also noted that planning permission for the siting of a caravan for three years had been approved in 2016 to “allow the agricultural enterprise to be developed and to allow the information to be collected to demonstrate the case for a plan”.

​However, they said that “no evidence has been submitted with the current application to demonstrate that the agricultural enterprise exists, or if it does, that it is currently economically viable.”

​Councillors voted to reject the application with five votes in favour and one against.