Cheshire West and Chester Council has refused a proposal to establish a caravan park for travellers near Ellesmere Port. The application, submitted in November 2025, sought to change the use of land off Welsh Road in Childer Thornton to create a site containing three static caravans and three touring caravans, with associated parking and amenity space.
The proposal also included the formation of a new vehicular access from Heath Lane and the closure of an existing access to Welsh Road for pedestrian use only, partly on a retrospective basis.
The council confirmed its decision to refuse the application on Wednesday, February 4, 2026. In a report, planning officer Edward Bannister outlined the reasons for refusal, emphasizing the site’s location within the countryside and Green Belt.
“The local landscape is characterised, in general terms, by low-lying flat topography, large fields, and well-established hedgerow boundaries. Agricultural uses predominate, and the area has an overtly rural feel to it,” the report stated.
Bannister noted that the nearest cluster of dwellings is more than 140 metres away and highlighted that parts of the surrounding land are in third-party ownership.
The report also referenced a nearby plot that recently received planning permission, on appeal, for use as a Traveller site. It described the proposed development as involving the change of part of an open field into a three-pitch residential caravan site, with private amenity space and a long access track from the new vehicular entry.
According to The Standard, more than 35 public comments were submitted opposing the plans. Objections cited concerns over the potential precedent for locating future sites within the Green Belt and a lack of safe pedestrian access to local services and facilities.
Bannister concluded: “It is concluded that the adverse impacts of granting permission, namely the lack of deliverability of vehicular access and egress to the site, and visual harm arising from an incongruous layout, would clearly outweigh the benefits. Namely with regard to the provision of traveller sites in the context of a lack of supply within the borough, and the personal circumstances of the occupiers, including the best interests of the child.”
For outdoor hospitality and caravan industry professionals, the decision highlights the regulatory and planning challenges of developing small-scale traveller or caravan sites, particularly within Green Belt areas.
Key considerations include access and egress feasibility, landscape integration, and local community impact—factors that can significantly influence planning outcomes even when demand for such sites exists.