A 4,300-SIGNATURE petition seeking to prevent Cheshire West and Chester Council from building a borough-wide Gipsy transit site in Whitegate and Marton has been thrown out.

Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC) compiled a list of 26 sites in May this year - now reduced to 22 - showing possible locations to build a transit site where travellers entering the west Cheshire borough will be directed.

Four of the sites are in Whitegate and Marton and 4,390 people have signed a petition against the site being put in the parish.

The petition was debated at a meeting of the full council on Thursday, October 20, with Whitegate and Marton Parish Council chairman, Cllr Keith Raynor, presenting the petition to the council and speaking on behalf of the village residents.

Cllr Raynor said: “The site is totally unsuitable for travellers. The petition reflects the views of 1,200 residents of Whitegate and Marton and the many visitors of the area who use Whitegate Country Park, the community run café and other local leisure facilities.

“The cost of establishing a site at Marton Villa Farm is estimated to be in between £2-3 million. As council tax payers we are concerned that the capital investment required to establish a site in Whitegate and Marton would not be met by the revenue gained.

“The lease of Marton Villa Farm runs out in the next two years and the value of this land would be significantly dropped should a transit site be put there. Therefore there is no justification in putting a transit site there, simply because the council owns the land.

“There is evidence that there is a clear cause for removal of the proposed Marton Villa Farm sites from further consideration. The report should be reviewed by the local plan working group.”

Winsford Over and Verdin member at CWAC, Cllr Mike Baynham, has been campaigning along with residents and proposed for the four sites earmarked among the shortlist to be removed.

The council voted on the motion and the vote came to a tie before chairman, Cllr Bob Rudd, exercised his right to vote and voted against the motion.

Cllr Eveleigh Moore Dutton then proposed an amendment which was also voted against.

Cllr Moore Dutton said: “May I express my sympathy to the residents of Marton. This is something that affects people’s lives profoundly and we have seen evidence that it has been done in an inadequate, untrustworthy fashion.

“I move that this matter including the report and the way in which it was compiled should be moved to scrutiny and I think the appropriate scrutiny committee is the west Cheshire scrutiny which deals with people and places. If we are to rely on this report it must have the faith of people and clearly that has been badly rattled.”