Councillors have voted to refuse a traveller who hoped to set up a small site for his family in a village north of Grantham.

Now, members of the planning committee of South Kesteven must come up with reasons for their majority decision should it be appealed.

Earlier, council planning staff had recommended approval for the application, as previously reported by Nub News.

They noted local opposition but said allowing the application would help SKDC meet traveller accommodation requirements.

As Nub News also previously reported, the scheme is a resubmission of one dismissed at appeal in December 2020.

Sam Smith of St Clements Court Leicestershire wants approval to use land north of Bennington Bait, Valley Lane, Long Bennington.

A report prepared for today's meeting said: "This application seeks permission for the change of use of the land to a travellers' site for the provision of one mobile home and one touring caravan for a forestry worker."

The accommodation would be used by Mr Smith, who works as a landscape gardener and tree surgeon across the East Midlands, his wife and four children.

At the meeting, ward councillor Paul Wood (Ind-Viking) said he opposed the scheme as it was in open countryside, the applicant lived in Leicester and sent his children to school in Newark.

Resident Stephen Pearson said the current application was the same as others that had also been refused.

Resident Phil Goodman agreed previous reasons for refusal were still valid and the site has been occupied without planning approval.

By recommending approval, SKDC was making a "senseless about turn," he added.

Coun Penny Milnes (Ind- Loveden Heath) called for a review of SKDC traveller accommodation policy, noting the council had a lack of allocated provision.

"We are in danger of these pop up sites. We need to see whether this site is suitable. SKDC has plenty of planning policies to refuse this. We are in danger of being steam-rollered."

Coun Robert Reid (Con-Bourne Austerby) questioned why the application had chosen to buy the site, when his children go to school in Newark and it is by the A1 and a maggot farm. Newark has its own traveller sites, he added, seeking refusal.

However, Ian Selby (Unaligned- Grantham Harrowby) accused opponents of "Nimbyism- not in my backyard."

Deepings Independent Phil Dilks said SKDC would keep having problems with unsuitable sites being put forward until it has allocated enough sites for travellers across the district. He was unsure how to vote.

In the vote that followed, Coun Dilks and five others abstained, but with four voting to refuse and one voting for, the motion was carried for refusal.

This means councillors have 5 working days to give reasons for this in writing. Then, after the head of planning comments on these reasons, the application will again come before the committee and members can determine the application again.