FOUR of the Wyre Forest sites earmarked as potential new sites for gypsies and travellers look set to be thrown out following public outcry.

Lea Castle, Stourport Road, in Bewdley, the former Sion Hill Middle School and Manor Farm could be struck off the list of seven potential sites after hundreds of outraged people voiced their concerns in a public consultation.

It would mean that only land adjacent to Nunn's Corner, Saiwen and The Gables Yard, all in Stourport, would house the gypsies and travellers, if the proposals by the Wyre Forest District Council Conservative group are given the go-ahead by full council.

The shock announcement will come as good news for hundreds of Wyre Forest residents who have been fighting tirelessly against the plans since the seven sites were whittled down from 15, in September.

John Campion, the district council’s Conservative group leader, said the Tories wanted the four sites ruled out as they were not accepted by the community.

Speaking exclusively to The Shuttle he explained: “We don’t support these [sites] being used for gypsy and travellers. We don’t support them being accepted in the plans.

“We believe the local representatives role is to listen and engage and that’s what we’ve done - we’ve listened to our community and engaged with them and now our position has been formed by what they’ve told us.

“The responses back from the public meetings and all the people I spoke to didn’t support them being put on the list. For us, our position is that we do not support these sites.”

He added a lot of the proposed sites were on Green Belt land and he was not convinced there were special circumstances put forward for them to be used.

Mr Campion said: “We want these sites ruled out. They’re not accepted . There’s no special circumstances. They don’t have the support of the community and we have to serve the community.”

He went on: “We’ve gone into this with an open mind - putting a proposition to the community and letting them have their say. That’s a very open and democratic way to make the decision.”

He added the group would work with the scrutiny process in the new year to identify how their proposal would be met.

He said: “It will ultimately be full council next year that will decide which sites are included but we feel it is right that we tell our community our position at this early stage.”