A DECISION on whether to allow a gipsy family permission to settle on land in Leigh Sinton has been deferred.

Malvern Hills District Council planners decided they needed more information on a recent similar case and any legal precedent it may have set.

The application by the Smith family, described as traditional Romany gipsies, was on the agenda of Wednesday's northern area planning sub-committee meeting, at Priory Lodge Hall, Malvern.

The proposal is to turn part of a field south west of Dragons Cross into a caravan site for the family.

But Coun John Guise moved for deferral to give the council time to examine the impact of the case in Wrexham which, last month, found that a family who had ceased their nomadic lifestyle due to illness could no longer be classified as gipsies.

Current legislation allows gipsies certain planning rights, but councillors said the application hinged on the definition of gipsy. The application will be reconsidered at a future meeting.