Published: Friday, 10th May 2024
A council consultation opening on 10 May seeks people’s views on the proposed sites and policies to meet the need of gypsies, travellers and travelling showpeople.
Earlier consultations aimed to gather as many options for sites as possible and consider the suitability of potential sites and policies to meet the needs of gypsies, travellers and travelling showpeople in the borough.
Now people are being asked for their views on proposed sites and policies, to help inform the Borough Council’s Local Plan.
Cllr Jim Moriarty, the council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for development and regeneration, said: “The provision of sites and policies to meet the needs of gypsies, travellers and travelling showpeople is a legal requirement and an important part the borough’s Local Plan.
“This consultation takes the process a step further as we are now asking for views on proposed sites and allocations. These views will be passed onto the Local Plan Inspectors for their consideration so I would urge anyone interested to join in with the consultation and make a formal representation.”
As part of the ongoing examination of the Local Plan, the council was asked by planning inspectors to produce an updated Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA), which it did in June last year.
This assessment identified that the accommodation needs for gypsies and travellers across the borough had risen more than tenfold from the previous assessment in 2016.
To understand how these needs could be accommodated, the council looked at all the existing gypsy and traveller sites across the borough, undertook a ‘call for land’ consultation with the public and investigated whether there were any potential sites within the council’s land holdings.
This work allowed the council to undertake a consultation at the beginning of 2024 on a Potential Sites and Policy Document, which sought views on potential sites and gathered further evidence.
To finalise the process, the council is now seeking to undertake a further consultation on those sites it proposes should be allocated to meet the five-year accommodation needs as required by current national planning policy.
The consultation closes on 21 June, when all responses and relevant documentation will be sent to the inspectors for their consideration. The inspectors will then issue a set of Matters, Issues and Questions on this topic (late August) which will form part of the scheduled hearing session for gypsy and traveller provision in September.