A bid to expand a site for Gypsies and Travellers is among the schemes people are trying to get planning permission for in North Somerset this week.

The Gypsy and Traveller site in North Somerset is seeking to expand amid a serious shortage of pitches for members of the community.

Ten new pitches could be set up on the west edge of the current site in Hewish under the plans, with each having its own garden area, day room, and space for a touring caravan.

The application warned that North Somerset needed another 114 pitches under the current Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment which runs from 2022 to 2042.

A statement submitted with the planning application to North Somerset Council said: “Given the location close to other gypsy/traveller pitches and the fact that the development does not cause other significant adverse impacts, on balance it is considered that consent should be granted, subject to relevant mitigation measures.”

You can view and comment on the application here: https://planning.n-somerset.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=S7RVWBLPIDN00

All planning applications are available for public inspection on the respective council’s website. Most plans will be decided by council planning officers, but some of the most significant or contentious will go before the councils’ planning committee.

Planning committees are made up of elected councillors but decisions should be decided based on the council’s planning policies, not local politics — although it doesn’t always turn out that way.