GYPSY, TRAVELLER and TRAVELLING SHOWPEOPLE DRAFT SITE ALLOCATIONS DEVELOPMENT PLAN DOCUMENT (DPD) November 2017
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GYPSY, TRAVELLER AND TRAVELLING SHOWPEOPLE DRAFT SITE ALLOCATIONS DEVELOPMENT PLAN DOCUMENT (DPD) November 2017 1 Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 4 PART A: NATIONAL AND LOCAL CONTEXT………………………………………………………….6 2.0 NATIONAL AND LOCAL CONTEXT ................................................................................. 6 PART B: ACCOMMODATION NEEDS ASSESSMENT ……………………………………………… 9 3.0 ACCOMMODATION NEEDS ASSESSMENT ................................................................... 9 4.0 TRANSIT PROVISION .................................................................................................... 12 5.0 TRAVELLING SHOWPEOPLE ACCOMMODATION NEEDS ......................................... 14 PART C: MEETING NEEDS ......................................................................................................... 15 6.0 THE SITE ASSESSMENT PROCESS ............................................................................ 15 7.0 DRAFT SITE ALLOCATIONS ......................................................................................... 19 8.0 ALTERNATIVE SITES .................................................................................................... 40 9.0 CONCLUSIONS AND NEXT STEPS………………………………………………………….68 NEXT STEPS ............................................................................................................................... 69 APPENDIX 1 – IDENTIFICATION OF GYPSY AND TRAVELLER NEEDS ............................... 71 APPENDIX 2 – GYPSY, TRAVELLER & TRAVELLING SHOWPEOPLE QUESTIONNAIRE .... 98 APPENDIX 3 – GYPSY, TRAVELLER & TRAVELLING SHOWPEOPLE SITE ASSESSMENT PRO-FORMA .......................................................................................................................... 104 APPENDIX 4 – A LIST OF SITES THAT HAVE BEEN ASSESSED FOR GYPSY, TRAVELLER AND TRAVELLING SHOWPEOPLE (GTTS) PROVISION ...................................................... 109 APPENDIX 5 – GYPSY AND TRAVELLER SITE SUBMISSION FORM .................................. 111 APPENDIX 6 – DISTRICT WIDE GYPSY, TRAVELLER AND TRAVELLING SHOWPEOPLE SITE PLAN……………………………………………………………………………………………….98 2 Forward By Claire Vickers (Cabinet Member) 3 1.0 INTRODUCTION The Horsham District Planning Framework 1.1 In November 2015, the Local Plan for Horsham district (outside the South Downs National Park), known as the Horsham District Planning Framework (HDPF) was adopted. This document now forms the overarching development plan for the district, setting out the planning strategy for the years up to 2031 to deliver the social, economic and environmental needs. The plan identifies the housing needs for the District including those required by the Gypsy and Traveller community. Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation 1.2 Chapter Eight of the HDPF sets out how the housing needs for Gypsies and Travellers will be met in the period to 2031. This included the allocation of land for 39 net additional permanent residential pitches for Gypsies and Travellers within the first five years of the plan 2011 – 2017 and a policy setting out the criteria by which any applications for non- allocated sites would be considered. 1.3 As the HDPF only provided allocations for Gypsy and Traveller sites until 2017, it was recognised in paragraph 8.8 that further work would be needed to identify and monitor need and to provide for additional pitches beyond the initial five year planning period. It was envisaged that these sites would be identified in a Site Allocations Document1 and the Planning Inspector examining the HDPF endorsed this approach. 1.4 In April 2017, a draft Gypsy and Traveller Site Allocations document was published for a six week consultation. This document set out the number of pitches required to accommodate Gypsies and Travellers in the period to 2031, and identified a number of potential sites in order to meet this requirement. In response to the comments that were received in response to this document, further work has been undertaken over the summer of 2017 and this document is therefore the revised draft Site Allocations document which takes account of this further work. Gypsy and Traveller Site Allocations Document 1.5 This draft Site Allocation Document therefore updates the Council’s preferred approach to the provision of sites for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation for further consultation. The format of this document is set out in three main sections as follows: 1 Please see paragraph 3.27 of the HDPF for context. 4 Part A sets out more detail on the national and local context for providing accommodation for Gypsy and Traveller site provision. This includes the definitions of who constitutes a Gypsy, Traveller or Travelling Showperson; Part B sets out the results of the Gypsy and Traveller accommodation needs assessment; Part C sets out the outcome of the consultation of the previous Site Allocations Document, April 2017, and outlines the further site assessment work undertaken following on from this consultation. The chapter then sets out the preferred locations for the provision for Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation, together with a summary of alternative sites which have been considered. 5 2.0 PART A: NATIONAL AND LOCAL CONTEXT National Planning Legislation and Policy 2.1 The Housing Act 2004 places a duty on local authorities to produce assessments of accommodation need for Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople (GTTS), and outlines how their needs will be met. However, there is no requirement for local authorities to provide such sites on land which they may own. 2.2 The main planning policy document relating to GTTS is the ‘Planning Policy for Traveller Sites’ document (PPTS) that was first published by the Government in March 2012 and updated in August 2015. Gypsy and Traveller and Travelling Showpeople - Definitions 2.3 The PPTS document provides a definition of both ‘gypsies and travellers’ and ‘travelling showpeople’ for the purposes of planning policy2. Horsham District Council has therefore used these definitions for the purposes of this document. Gypsies and Travellers: ‘Persons of nomadic habit of life whatever their race or origin, including such persons who on grounds only of their own or their family’s or dependents’ educational or health needs or old age have ceased to travel temporarily, but excluding members of an organised group of travelling showpeople or circus people travelling together as such’; and Travelling Showpeople: ‘Members of a group organised for the purposes of holding fairs, circuses or shows (whether or not travelling together as such). This includes such persons who on the grounds of their own or their family’s or dependants’ more localised pattern of trading, educational or health needs or old age have ceased to travel temporarily, but excludes Gypsies and Travellers as defined above.’ 2.4 Annex 1 of the PPTS sets out the terms of determining whether people are ‘gypsies and travellers’ for the purposes of planning policy. It notes that consideration should be given to the following issues amongst other relevant matters whether they previously led a nomadic habit of life; the reasons for ceasing their nomadic habit of life; whether there is an intention of living a nomadic habit of life in the future, and if so, how soon and in what circumstances. 2 As defined in the National Planning Policy for Traveller Sites (PPTS), DCLG, 2015, Annex 1 6 National Planning Policy Requirements 2.5 The Government’s aim is to ensure the fair and equal treatment of travellers, in a way that facilitates the traditional and nomadic way of life of travellers while respecting the interests of the settled community. In order to fulfil these aims, the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites document states that local planning authorities should: make their own assessment of need for the purposes of planning; working collaboratively, develop fair and effective strategies to meet need through the identification of land for sites; plan for sites over a reasonable timescale; promote more private traveller site provision while recognising that there will always be those travellers who cannot provide their own sites; aim, through plan-making to reduce the number of unauthorised developments and encampments and make enforcement more effective; and increase the number of traveller sites in appropriate locations with planning permission, to address under provision and maintain an appropriate level of supply. 2.6 In terms of practical plan-making for traveller sites within the District, paragraph 9 of the PPTS confirms that local planning authorities should set ‘pitch’ targets for gypsies and travellers and ‘plot’ targets for travelling Showpeople as part of the plan making process. (This is defined in Annex 13). This should address both the likely permanent and transit site accommodation needs of travellers in their area. The document also notes that local planning authorities should: identify and update annually, a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide 5 years’ worth of sites against their locally set targets;4 and identify a supply of specific, developable sites, or broad locations for growth, for years 6 to 10 and, where possible, for years 11 to 155. 3 For the purposes of planning policy, ‘pitch’ means a pitch on a ‘gypsy and traveller’ site and ‘plot’ means a pitch on a ‘travelling showpeople’ site (often called a ‘yard’). The full definition is in the