ANOTHER public inquiry could be on the cards in the case of a gipsy family who have plagued a parish council for years. In January this year a planning inspector s decision to allow traveller Peter Robb and his family to remain on Nuckies Farm in Colney H

ANOTHER public inquiry could be on the cards in the case of a gipsy family who have plagued a parish council for years.

In January this year a planning inspector's decision to allow traveller Peter Robb and his family to remain on Nuckies Farm in Colney Heath was overturned by the Secretary of State.

But Mr Robb is still living there and now the Planning Inspectorate is proposing to hold a new appeal into whether he should remain.

The saga began in 2000 when Mr Robb moved onto Nuckies Farm which resulted in numerous enforcement notices being served on him by the district council. He even served a 28-day jail sentence for defying a High Court injunction ordering him off the site.

One of the main causes of concern was the site's Green Belt location and that it was on the flood plain which could impact on houses further down the river. So when a planning inspector ruled last year that Mr Robb and his family should be allowed to move back onto Nuckies Farm for a maximum of five years, Colney Heath parish council decided to seek a Judicial Review over the outcome.

Before it went to the High Court, the Secretary of State intervened and ruled that the planning inspector's decision should be quashed.

St Albans council's planning portfolio holder and councillor for Colney Heath, Cllr Chris Brazier, said he would be objecting to any further public inquiries into Mr Robb and Nuckies Farm.

He pointed out that there was nothing new to say on the subject and the arguments against Mr Robb remained the same with the flood plain implications paramount.

And he warned that another inquiry could lead to a further year's delay in moving Mr Robb off the site.