PLANNERS are being recommended to approve proposals for a travellers' transit site on the outskirts of Looe.

Cornwall Council's Planning East Committee is due to meet in Camelford on Wednesday when it will consider the application by Katrina Ring for the ten-pitch site at Valley View Stables, off Barbican Road, adjacent to the site of the proposed new Tesco store.

Councillors are being recommended to approve the application which attracted letters of support from ten individuals and 36 letters opposing the proposals on the grounds of lack of need, proximity to Looe's secondary school and the potential for anti-social activities.

Town councillors in Looe asked Cornwall Council to ensure the application went before the planning committee rather than be dealt with by delegation to a planning officer, saying they believe the proposal contravened the Planning Policy for Travellers, that the site is not on a major road and that it is not an allocated site in the Local Plan.

Mrs Ring said there was a desperate need in the area for a transit site and her site met the criteria and was well screened. The site would be clean and well managed, with little disruption or inconvenience to locals, she said.

If the application is approved, conditions restricting occupancy and requiring access improvements and details of landscaping and screening will be applied.