Gypsies and Travellers cover Geoff back n front 09:Community involvement 05 A4.qxd 08/12/2009 10:41 Page 1 Brentwood Borough Local Development Framework Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan Document PRE-SUBMISSION DRAFT PLAN December 2009 www.brentwood.gov.uk BRENTWOOD BOROUGH LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK GYPSIES AND TRAVELLERS DEVELOPMENT PLAN DOCUMENT PRE-SUBMISSION DRAFT PLAN December 2009 Brentwood Borough Council, Town Hall, Ingrave Road, Brentwood CM15 8AY Telephone: 01277 312500 Website: www.brentwood.gov.uk Email: [email protected] Brentwood Borough LDF: Gypsies and Travellers DPD Pre-Submission Draft Plan. December 2009 We can provide this document in other formats, such as large print, audio tape or a translation. For more information, please call 01277 312629 Brentwood Borough LDF: Gypsies and Travellers DPD Pre-Submission Draft Plan. December 2009 Contents Page List of Abbreviations and Glossary of Terms................................................ 2 1. Summary............................................................................................. 3 Background............................................................................................................ 3 The Level of Need.................................................................................................. 3 The Draft Plan Proposals....................................................................................... 4 How to Make Representations............................................................................... 4 2. Introduction.......................................................................................... 6 Background............................................................................................................. 6 The Single Issue Review of the East of England Plan (RSS): Planning for Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation in the East of England................................. 6 The Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan Document.................................... 6 The Consultation Process....................................................................................... 7 Definition of a Pitch.................................................................................................. 8 Why Provide Authorised Gypsy and Traveller Sites?............................................. 8 Frequently Asked Questions................................................................................... 9 3. The Determination of the Preferred Sites..............................................12 Background............................................................................................................ 12 Circular 1/2006........................................................................................................ 12 Earlier Consultation Responses............................................................................. 12 The Interim Sustainability Appraisal of the Issues and Options Stage 2: Suggested Sites...................................................................................................... 17 A Draft Criteria Based Policy................................................................................... 18 4. The Proposed Sites...............................................................................19 Sites to Meet the Needs to 2011............................................................................. 19 Site 1: Willow Farm, Stock Lane, Ingatestone.............................................. 19 Site 2: Roman Triangle, Roman Road, Mountnessing................................. 20 Site 3: Hope Farm, Horsemanside/Goatswood Lane, Navestock................ 21 Site 4: Treetops, Curtis Mill Lane, Navestock.............................................. 22 Site 5: Cottage Garden, Beads Hall Lane, Pilgrims Hatch........................... 23 Sites to meet the Needs after 2011......................................................................... 24 5. The Discounted Sites............................................................................26 6. The Sustainability Appraisal and Habitat Regulations Assessment...........................................................................................28 Background............................................................................................................. 28 The Sustainability Appraisal of the Gypsies and Travellers DPD........................... 28 7. Equality Impact Assessment.................................................................29 Appendix 1: Proposed Sites – Location Plans...............................................30 Brentwood Borough LDF: Gypsies and Travellers DPD Pre-Submission Draft Plan. December 2009 1 List of Abbreviations and Glossary of Terms (Note terms in italics are explained elsewhere in the glossary) BRLP Brentwood Replacement Local Plan: The Local Development Plan for the Borough, adopted in August 2005, and will eventually be superseded by the Local Development Framework. The determination of development proposals must be made in accordance with the Development Plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. DPD Development Plan Document: those documents that, together with the Regional Spatial Strategy, form the Development Plan for the area, and are subject to independent examination (including a Core Strategy, Site Specific Allocations, Action Area Plans, and Generic Development Control Policies). The programme for preparing Development Plan Documents is set out in an authority’s Local Development Scheme and can be reviewed in whole or in part, independently from one another. EERA East of England Regional Assembly: exists to promote the economic, social and environmental well-being of the region. It consists of a partnership of elected representatives from the 54 local authorities in the East of England and appointed representatives from social, economic and environmental interests (Community Stakeholders). It forms the regional planning body responsible for preparing the Regional Spatial Strategy. LDF Local Development Framework: the name for the set of Local Development Documents, consisting of Development Plan Documents, Supplementary Planning Documents, a Statement of Community Involvement, the Local Development Scheme and Annual Monitoring Reports, which together will provide the framework for delivering the spatial strategy for the Borough. LDS Local Development Scheme: the programme for preparing Local Development Documents. All authorities were required to submit a Scheme to the Secretary of State for approval within six months of commencement of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. PPG Planning Policy Guidance: set out the Government’s national guidance on different aspects of planning. They are gradually being replaced by Planning Policy Statements. RSS Regional Spatial Strategy: part of the Development Plan setting out the region’s policies in relation to development and use of land. SA Sustainability Appraisal: a tool for appraising policies to ensure that they reflect sustainable development objectives (i.e. social, environmental and economic factors) and required to be undertaken for all Local Development Documents. Brentwood Borough LDF: Gypsies and Travellers DPD Pre-Submission Draft Plan. December 2009 2 1. Summary Background 1.1 As part of the new Local Development Framework (LDF), which will eventually replace the Brentwood Replacement Local Plan (BRLP), the Council is required by the government to prepare a Development Plan Document (DPD) dealing with Gypsy and Traveller accommodation needs in the Borough. 1.2 As a first stage in this process, the Council published an Issues and Options document in July 2007 for a six-week public consultation. That document set out the background and context for consideration of what the Council believed to be the issues and options, provided links to other more detailed sources of information, and asked a number of specific questions in order to encourage comments to be made. 1.3 As a result of that consultation a number of sites were suggested to the Council as potential permanent residential Gypsy and Traveller sites, particularly by the Brentwood Gypsy Support Group. The Council published those suggested sites as a second stage Issues and Options consultation in June 2008. 1.4 These earlier consultations together with the other relevant background information, including progress on the review of the regional policy dealing with the same issue across the East of England Region, have been instrumental in progressing to this next stage of the DPD production, the Pre-Submission Draft Plan, which sets out the Council’s proposals for providing the required number of additional authorised pitches. 1.5 The earlier consultation documents can still be viewed on the Council’s website (http//www.brentwood.gov.uk). The Level of Need 1.6 As referred to above, at the same time as the Council has had to produce this plan, the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) has been preparing a single issue review of the East of England Plan, the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS), titled ‘Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation in the East of England’, which has proposed the level of additional authorised permanent pitches to be provided in each local authority across the region. 1.7 This was submitted to the Secretary of State for approval and subject to an examination by an independent panel of inspectors in October 2008. The report of the panel was published in December 2008 and recommended