HUNDREDS of residents packed out two meetings to raise concerns about plans for travellers’ and showpeople’s sites near York.

Routine ward committee meetings at Dunnington and Poppleton became an opportunity for local people to speak out about proposals in City of York Council’s Local Plan to allocate land in Dunnington and Knapton for a travellers site and showpeople’s yard respectively.

At Poppleton Community Centre, the meeting had to be moved into a sports hall after the meeting room became too packed when more than 200 people turned up, including many from the Wetherby Road and Beckfield Lane area, said Coun Chris Steward, Rural West York councillor.

He said there was widespread opposition and concern about the Knapton proposals. “We answered numerous queries, making clear that Coun Ian Gillies and I, as ward councillors, were very much against the plans and would be opposing them.

“The biggest concerns were greenbelt erosion, the sheer size – bigger than Knapton itself – the noise, the traffic etc.”

He said a special public meeting would probably be called in mid-June to discuss the Local Plan specifically.

Many people also turned up at Dunnington’s ward meeting, said Councillor Jenny Brooks. She said that athough people were, very understandably, extremely concerned, everyone sat calmly through the formal part of the meeting and a brief explanation of the Preferred Options.

“Issues raised included: the proximity to housing, proximity to the children’s play area and the playing fields (most of the field is within Flood Zone 3a and the only large area that isn’t is the top right hand part next to housing and opposite the playing fields), the effect on Hassacarr Nature Reserve, with its rare and protected species, and the water voles, also a protected species, in the dykes around the site, the possibility of buying the land, the visual impact on the entrance to the village,” she said.

Two public meetings are now set to be held about the traveller site proposals, which will take place at 4.30 and 7.30 pm on Tuesday at the Dunnington Reading Rooms. Coun Brooks said they were not protest meetings but intended so that she and parish councillors could explain the proposals and bring residents up to date on what actions they have taken and propose to take.