SIX new pitches have been agreed for the Piddlehinton gypsy and traveller site – two double and two single.

Dorset Council, which owns and runs the area, say the long-established site is currently full and more space is needed.

The application, approved by a Dorset Council planning officer, is for six new family pitches, each to accommodate a static caravan, a utility building and two parking spaces. Three of the pitches will be to the north of the existing site with the others to the south. The combined scheme will add 12 parking spaces.

The application attracted no public comments and no comment from Piddle Valley parish council.

Dorset Council say the new plots will make use of the untidy area surrounding the former scrap store.

“This proposal will be hugely beneficial to the traveller community. It will provide family pitches that meet the needs and customs of the end user, whilst resolving the current shortage of adequate plots,” said a statement submitted with the application.

The gypsy and traveller site was established on the southern edge of Piddlehinton Enterprise Park in the mid-1970s with amenity blocks added in 1994.