Leicestershire traveller site to triple after man's heartfelt plea

Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council unanimously approved plans to add four static and two touring caravans at Pinehollow Barn after John Price asked to keep his family together. Planning officers said the caravans would be six metres apart and had consulted the fire service but received no response.

A traveller site at Pinehollow Barn in Higham on the Hill will increase in size after a planning committee meeting. John Price asked Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council for permission to add four static caravans and two touring caravans. The proposal would replace a 2008 permission that allowed two caravans for a single family. The site has previously been the subject of planning debates, including a rejected 2012 application to add seven caravans. Key facts: - The planning committee unanimously approved the application to add four static caravans and two touring caravans at Pinehollow Barn. - John Price, described in reports as a Romani gypsy, said he has lived on the site for 15 years and sought the additions to keep his family together; he said he runs two businesses and intends the site to be privately run. - Mr Price said the extra caravans were intended for his father and father-in-law and that his father had had a stroke and currently lives in a rental property. - Higham on the Hill Parish Council vice chair Harry Masters raised concerns about fire safety and the spacing of caravans, saying the layout might compromise regulations. - Planning officers confirmed the proposed caravans would be six metres apart and said the council had consulted Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service but did not receive a response. Summary: The council's approval changes the permitted use from two caravans for a single family to six caravans, effectively increasing the site's size. Undetermined at this time.