Unanimous support has been given by councillors to a plan to open a gypsy traveller site on Goonhilly Downs.

It should mean the departure of travellers that have been living on the top level of Coverack’s North Corner car park for more than ten years.

Mr M Tylor has applied for planning permission to change the use of a patch of land opposite Croft Pascoe, on the Traboe Cross to Kuggar road, in order to create three gypsy traveller pitches and install a septic tank.

The land, which is surrounded by fields and heathland, was used as a festival site during the 1999 eclipse.

Following its meeting last Thursday St Keverne Parish Council gave its backing to the plans, writing on the Cornwall Council website: “The application will offer a solution to an ongoing 11-year situation with regard to travellers illegally camped in North Corner car park, Coverack.

“It is merely to accommodate this particular family and there will be no transient site or spare pitches for others to come in. It will relieve the residents of this seaside tourist village of the blight that has been gripping the area for so long, freeing up 20 to 25 parking spaces in the car park, which are much needed in the summer months when visitors park all the way down the main road, including on bends because the other car parks are full.

“The proposed site will not be visible and is on a piece of waste ground that was used for the eclipse festival in 1999.”

Speaking at the meeting, councillor Bill Frisken said: “I don’t think there’s nearly as much venom in the objections as there could be. Bearing in mind, when all is said and done, we have been made aware of what is going to happen and we are going to benefit.”

He also made reference to the fact it should move the travellers from the car park in Coverack, which “desperately needed parking”, and said: “I think all in all we should support this application strongly.”

The project is linked to a housing application from Mr Tylor, for Coverack. Here he wants to build four affordable homes and eight open market houses, on land at the top of the village.

Stephen Bott, planning consultant for Mr Tylor, said the affordable housing part would be the priority for building, with the eight open marking homes built afterwards.

However, both planning applications would need to go ahead, as the money from the sale of the open market houses would cross-subsidise the cost of the traveller pitches and affordable housing.

St Keverne Parish Council wrote on the Cornwall Council website: “This is a much reduced scale proposal than the original 40 houses. The mix of four affordable houses and eight open market seems acceptable, the open market houses cross subsidising the affordable homes and the proposed traveller site at Goonhilly Downs and is supported by the affordable housing team of Cornwall Council.

“This, together with the traveller site, will go some way towards reducing the number of people on the housing register for Coverack for a change, rather than St Keverne. The proposed entrance has good visibility on a straight, open B road and should not prove any problem.”

The council added that it “strongly supported” both applications.