Regional Spatial Strategy - Gypsy and Traveller Site Review
National Planning Policy on Gypsies and Travellers
The national planning regime for providing Gypsy and Traveller sites was amended in February 2006 with the publication by the Government of Circular 01/2006: Planning for Gypsy and Traveller Caravan Sites. The Circular emphasises the need to ensure that enough sites are provided across the country and sets out a planning process for achieving this.
What’s happened in the South West?
Regional Planning Bodies, such as the South West Regional Assembly (SWRA), are responsible for identifying in their Regional Spatial Strategies (RSSs) the number of new pitches required to meet the need for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation.
Policy GT1 and paragraphs 6.1.12 - 6.1.15 of the draft RSS, which was published in June 2006, relate to the issue of Gypsy and Traveller accommodation. The draft RSS can be accessed from www.southwest-ra.gov.uk.
The draft RSS recognised that further survey work was required to assess accommodation needs and this further work has now been undertaken. It has been used to inform a review of Policy GT 1 and a consultation paper, which proposed amendments to Policy GT 1, was published by the SWRA in early August 2007.
What’s happened in Dorset?
In the Dorset Sub-region the additional work on need took the form of a joint Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA), as required by Circular 01/2006. The survey work was undertaken by AngliaRuskinUniversity and was published in October 2006.
The GTAA established the amount of accommodation needed in each District and the findings have been used to advise the Regional Assembly on the level of need in Dorset, Poole and Bournemouth. The advice given to the SWRA (including the covering letter) and the Dorset Gypsy and Traveller Needs Assessment report can be seen via the links to the right.
Consultation on the Revised Draft Policy
Revised draft Policy GT 1 (together with revised supporting text) was published by the SWRA for a 12-week period of public consultation between early August and 31st October 2007. The consultation documents set out below can be accessed from the links to the right.
- Leaflet setting out revised draft Policy GT 1 and details of how to respond;
- Pre-submission Consultation Statement; and
- Strategic Sustainability Appraisal.
Please note that the consultation on these documents has now closed.
What was North Dorset District Council’s Response to the Revised Draft Policy?
A report on the SWRA’s consultation was taken to the District Council’s Planning Policy Panel on 19th September followed by a report to Cabinet on 1st October 2007.
These reports outlined the issues for the local area and Cabinet made a formal response to the revised draft policy – see link to the right. These reports are available in full from the Minutes and Agendas page of the Council’s website.
The Examination in Public
The responses to the consultation on the revised draft policy will be considered by an independent panel of inspectors at an “Examination in Public” (EIP), which will be held in Exeter from 4th to 6th March 2008. More details of the EIP can be accessed from http://www.planning-inspectorate.gov.uk/pins/rss/south_west_gypsy/index.htm.
The Council has been invited to attend the EIP on 6th March and has produced further evidence on both the overall level of site provision in the region (Matter 1) and the proposed level of provision in Dorset (Matter 2). These further submissions can be downloaded from the links to the right.
When the Panel has considered all the evidence they will prepare a report with their recommendations which will be sent to the Secretary of State and made publicly available. The Secretary of State will then consult on any further revisions to the policy for a period of at least 8 weeks, probably in May 2008. It is anticipated that the final RSS will be issued by the Secretary of State, incorporating the outcome of the review of Policy GT 1, in the autumn.
|
