PROPOSALS to relocate two families made up of travelling showpeople from their ‘inappropriate’ town centre home have been submitted.

Warrington & Co has put forward plans to develop a ‘showperson’s yard’ consisting of five plots for residential use and storage, on Winwick Road industrial estate, on Athlone Road, as well as a yard with five plots and storage on the former abattoir site in Woolston, on New Cut Lane.

A change of use for both pieces of land also forms part of the plans.

In August 2016, the council withdrew proposals to move the families from their current home, on Foundry Street, to Hoyle Street in Bewsey following scores of objections from residents.

The two design and access statements say the authority ‘is committed to taking a proactive approach in planning for the future provision of sites to meet the needs of this community’.

They add: “The application is seeking approval to relocate an existing showpeople family from their current site, on Foundry Street, to the new site.

“The family has lived on the current site for approximately 20 years but the site is inappropriate due to its location and is insufficient in size.

"As set out within the policy, the proposed development is sited to promote integrated co-existence between the site and the surrounding local community.

“It is our understanding that the scheme meets a number of national, regional and local strategic objectives.

"The Government believes that everyone should have the opportunity of a decent home.

“Decent homes are a key element of any thriving sustainable community.

“This is true for the settled and travelling showpeople community.”

Both are considered to be ‘suitable’ sites ‘due to accessibility to national transport routes’, while it is believed ‘it will not place undue pressure on local infrastructure and services’.

The locations also aim to ‘ensure’ the children can continue to attend their current schools.