Agenda item

RESOLVED:            1)         That the draft Gypsy, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople Potential Sites and Policy document, the Gypsy and Traveller Site Assessment Document, the associated Strategic Flood Risk Assessment and the Sustainability Appraisal, be endorsed for consultation, for a period of 6 weeks from the 26^th January until the 8^th March 2024.

2)            That delegated authority be granted to the Portfolio Holder for Development and Regeneration, and the Assistant Director – Environment & Planning, to include minor amendments as required to the consultation document prior to consultation starting at the end of January.

3)         That delegated authority be granted to the Portfolio Holder, Development and Regeneration to ensure new sites which come forward from the consultation exercise be communicated in a timely manner to Borough Councillors and where possible Parish Councils.

Reason for Decision

The Borough Council must allocate land to meet the accommodation needs for Gypsies, Travellers and Showpeople through the replacement Local Plan.  The Local Plan is unlikely to be found sound at examination if insufficient land is allocated to address this need.

Cabinet approval is being sought to publish potential site allocations for consultation. It is also seeking authority to make minor amendments to the consultation document as necessary for clarity ahead of the formal consultation period. Following the consultation, and after a further assessment, Full Council will need to endorse the final preferred site-specific allocations for submission to the Planning Inspectors as part of the ongoing Local Plan examination.

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Assistant Director S Ashworth presented a report which explained that as part of the Local Plan process, the council had produced a draft consultation document on proposed locations to meet the accommodation needs of Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople in the borough. It incorporated the list of existing sites across the borough, the methodology used for assessment, those sites that were preferred to accommodate the identified needs and planning policies to manage such developments over the plan period to 2039. This was an essential part of the Local Plan process, and this work must be carried out before the Local Plan could be adopted.

The report sought authority to proceed with a consultation on potential sites. The consultation would run for 6 weeks, and would help to inform a final proposed Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople policy, which would be submitted to Cabinet for approval in April 2024, to be submitted for formal Examination in July 2024.   

Under standing order 34 Councillor Dark confirmed that as Group Leader he had been briefed on the subject, acknowledged that it needed to be carried out and supported it.

Councillor Morley sought clarification on if there was disagreement with the proposals.  It was confirmed the outcome of the consultation would come to Cabinet and Council.

Attention was drawn to the additional recommendation proposed by the Local Plan Task Group and supported by the Regeneration and Development Panel as follows. This was supported by Cabinet.:

“3)       That delegated authority be granted to the Portfolio Holder, Development and Regeneration to ensure new sites which come forward from the consultation exercise be communicated in a timely manner to Borough Councillors and where possible Parish Councils”

RESOLVED:            1)         That the draft Gypsy, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople Potential Sites and Policy document, the Gypsy and Traveller Site Assessment Document, the associated Strategic Flood Risk Assessment and the Sustainability Appraisal, be endorsed for consultation, for a period of 6 weeks from the 26^th January until the 8^th March 2024.

2)            That delegated authority be granted to the Portfolio Holder for Development and Regeneration, and the Assistant Director – Environment & Planning, to include minor amendments as required to the consultation document prior to consultation starting at the end of January.

3)         That delegated authority be granted to the Portfolio Holder, Development and Regeneration to ensure new sites which come forward from the consultation exercise be communicated in a timely manner to Borough Councillors and where possible Parish Councils.

Reason for Decision

The Borough Council must allocate land to meet the accommodation needs for Gypsies, Travellers and Showpeople through the replacement Local Plan.  The Local Plan is unlikely to be found sound at examination if insufficient land is allocated to address this need.

Cabinet approval is being sought to publish potential site allocations for consultation. It is also seeking authority to make minor amendments to the consultation document as necessary for clarity ahead of the formal consultation period. Following the consultation, and after a further assessment, Full Council will need to endorse the final preferred site-specific allocations for submission to the Planning Inspectors as part of the ongoing Local Plan examination.