A FAMILY of travelling showpeople say they have “nowhere to go” after being prevented from moving on to a site they had previously been granted permission to be on.

Jennings fairground rides have been a feature of Stourport Carnival since 1947, but the family have been struggling to find a permanent home within Wyre Forest.

They own land in Heath Lane, Kidderminster, but have failed to get planning permission to store their half a million pounds worth of equipment on the site.

Now Wyre Forest District Council has agreed to lease them the former Burlish Golf Course car park, off Zortech Avenue.

The family have planning permission to use it for storage and to live there, but they say they still haven’t been been allowed to move on to the site.

Showman Neil Jennings said: “They have given us planning permission to go on the site but they won’t give us the keys.

“The problem is the site is in a mess. The site has been tipped on and burned.”

Mr Jennings also says that the council have not yet told them how much they will be charged to lease the land.

After several refused planning applications, permission was granted for the family to store 11 caravans and equipment on the former golf course for a total of two years at a meeting on Tuesday, September 17.

The site has hardstanding areas utilised for car parking and access to the club house buildings, which have been derelict since 2017.

Mr Jennings added: “We can’t get on there until it’s cleaned up. They won’t let us go on and clean it ourselves.

“We don’t understand what the problem is. I’m a travelling showman. We have dealt with councils all over the country.

“It doesn’t make sense to me. There’s nowhere for us to go. We want permission to go on there, shift rubbish and tidy.

“We are caught between a rock and a hard place. It’s gone on too long.”

The family previously feared they would be made homeless if a planning application was refused again, after being evicted from a site on Long Bank in Bewdley.

The family hope to return to a Kidderminster base in time to work in the area for bonfire events.

Deputy leader and cabinet member for economic regeneration, planning and capital investments Councillor Fran Oborski said: “We have offered the Jennings a lease on the site and are waiting for a response from them.

“Once they have agreed the terms of the lease we will then be able to complete the legalities so they can move on to the property.”

A spokesman for the council added: “We can confirm we are in detailed discussions with the Jennings family over the lease of the site and we hope that an agreed outcome can be reached shortly.”

Mr Jennings has previously responded to criticism of his family on social media, saying: “People don’t understand that we’re business people. We’re not gypsies.

“We’ve got half a million pounds worth of equipment - all on wheels - and we have to find a space to maintain it.”