Gypsy, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople Development Plan Document
This is a new
DPD
added to the
LDF
this year and will allocate sites for gypsy and traveller
accommodation in the borough. This
DPD
is required as new
regulations set out the need to include information on the number
of Gypsy and Traveller pitches required in the region. These
regulations came into fore shortly before the full draft South East
Plan (SEP) was submitted to Government in March 2006 and it was not
possible to include this data before the Plan submission deadline.
The Assembly therefore launched a partial review of the Plan to
cover this issue.
Now that the Regional Spatial Strategies have
been revoked by the Coalition Government, there is no longer a
requirement for the Council to provide the number of sites put
forward by the Regional Planning Board in the South East Plan
(Partial Review). The Government considers that Local
Councils are best placed to assess the needs of travellers.
The Council still proposes to produce a Gypsy
and Traveller DPD which must be based on a strong evidence base and
the Council can draw upon the information collected as part of the
Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment carried out in
2005/2006, but this is likely to require some updating.
The Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople
Issues and Options Report was published and consulted upon in
March/April 2010. Responses to the publication of this
document will be used to help inform the next stage of the
preparation of this DPD.
The Issues and Options Report included a
request for potential sites for consideration as traveller sites to
be put forward by landowners or their agents. However, very
few were identified and as a result, further significant work will
need to be carried out to identify potential sites.
- View or download the Issues and Options
Report and representations, through the
Consultation Portal
Next Stage
Once a number of potential sites have been
identified, the Council will publish a consultation paper and
consult stakeholder groups and members of the public on the
suitability of those sites. This will be followed by
publishing the DPD showing the sites considered to be the most
appropriate for allocation. We do not have any details of
timescales on the publication version of the DPD at the present
time.
If you require further information, please email the Planning Policy
Team.
This webpage was updated on
9/8/2011