COUNCIL chiefs could have a battle on their hands if they revive plans to build a transit site for gypsies and travellers at Cledford Hall.

Cheshire East Council confirmed last week that is considering whether to pursue the plans once again, after its planning permission for the site expired last year.

It comes after Crewe and Nantwich councillors called on CEC to take action following a recent rise in illegal encampments across their wards.

Although he supports the introduction of a transit site in the borough, Cllr Jonathan Parry, Labour CEC member for Middlewich, says he will be putting in a 'strong case' against Cledford Hall being the place for it.

He said: "When it came around the first time the public were against it, the travellers were against it, I don’t believe anyone was in favour of it – it is totally the wrong location.

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"I do believe in these transit sites, we have got to have them, but put them in the right place – not at the heart of a residential community.

"There are locations where transit sites would work. CEC should do a proper consultation, get a shortlist of sites and look into it properly.

"Instead it was just ‘let’s dump it in Middlewich’, it was like the Ansa site, but the times are changing now and we are not allowing that."

Police have powers to move gypsies and travellers off unauthorised camps immediately in boroughs where there are transit sites – but CEC does not have one, meaning it has to apply for court orders instead.

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The council faced fierce opposition to the original plans from residents and Fiona Bruce, Conservative MP for Congleton, before CEC got the go-ahead for the scheme in 2015.

In a statement issued last week, CEC said: “We are in the process of undertaking a feasibility study at Cledford Hall and will establish the cost of development."