Laura Sandys, Member of Parliament for South Thanet, has welcomed Dover District Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for 13 mobile homes for agricultural workers and the erection of a kitchen/ shower/toilet block on Clampits Farm in Westmarsh (ref: DOV/11/0934).
Laura who has been working with the residents in Westmarsh on a number of illegal settlements in the village had voiced her objections to the planning application during the Council’s consultation. “I very much welcome the Council’s decision to refuse planning permission. The strength of opposition to this development was evident in the many letters and emails that both the Council and I received in protest against this application. Campsites have blighted the lives of residents in Westmarsh for far too long and the refusal of planning permission for this type of development is a step in the right direction.”
Ms Sandys is pursuing a number of avenues to address the issue of campsites without planning permission in Westmarsh. She is working closely with the Gangmaster’s Licensing Authority to try to stop workers being sent to unauthorised sites and is also urging the Council to use their enforcement powers.