Plans to allocate land in Copeland for the Gypsy and Traveller communities will be decided next week.
Copeland Council must, by law, meet housing needs of all residents, including those who identify with the Gypsies, Travellers and travelling show people and allocate land accordingly.
Its search was narrowed down to land north of Greenbank and land at Sneckyeat between the industrial estate and Cumbria Sports Academy in Whitehaven. The council will be asked to approve the land at Sneakyeat when it meets on Wednesday.
The authority launched a consultation about the sites.
Whitehaven Town Council objected to both sites at a meeting in April and said a more rural area would be suitable.
Town councillors Edwin and Gemma Dinsdale and resident Ian Thomason launched a petition against both sites, which has been signed by 967 people.
It is thought that protesters will also attend the meeting.
Mr Dinsdale said: “I can’t see why they’d want to place this site in what is the highest populated area in Copeland, I think it would benefit both parties (the settled and traveller communities) in a more rural area.”
He said that the land at Sneckyeat is a former landfill site which he believes will be more costly to the council in the long-term. Mr Dinsdale asked why the Lake District National Park has not been considered.
Councillor David Moore, one of Copeland Council’s executive members, said: “The Local Development Framework Panel have looked at the two options and consultations for both sites and they’ve decided now the one Copeland will go forward with is the Sneckyeat site.”
A vote will be taken on the recommendation from the panel, which if approved, would mean that a consultation is launched on the Sneckyeat allocation, giving the public a chance to have their say on whether it is suitable as a gypsy and traveller site.
Cllr Moore added: “There was a call put out for gypsy and traveller sites, and we’re not giving the land away it would then have to be purchased, but that call got us nothing so now the only option we’ve had is for council owned land.”
Copeland Borough Council will meet to discuss the Local Plan among other issues affecting the area on Wednesday July 6, 2pm at the Copeland Centre.
