CONTACT
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Mail :
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Local Development Framework Dept. of Development Plymouth City Council Plymouth PL1 2AA |
| 01752 304822 | |
| ldf@plymouth.gov.uk |
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Gypsy and traveller sites
The Council has a duty to provide official sites to accommodate gypsies and travellers. An independent assessment has identified the need for 15 transit and 40 residential pitches in Plymouth (visit our gypsy and travellers FAQ page for definitions). In the last year there have been 25 unauthorised encampments, causing a variety of problems and strain on public budgets. This illustrates the problems caused by the shortage of authorised sites.
A report to the City Council's Cabinet says that three new Gypsy and Traveller sites are needed to meet the city's need for 50 pitches and help prevent the increasing number of illegal encampments.
Last year there were 40 illegal encampments in Plymouth, compared to an average of between 20 and 25 a year in previous years, some of which caused significant problems for local residents as well as costing the Council up to £300,000 a year in clean up costs.
The Cabinet will hear that Plymouth has a clearly identified need for 50 gypsy and traveller pitches, which is set out in the Plymouth Core Strategy, and that Government national policy guidance is encouraging councils to meet needs where they have been identified.
The report says that emerging national policies will mean that not providing sites will make it more likely that councils will lose planning appeals when Gypsy and Traveller sites are set up on private land.
An extensive public consultation carried out by the Council identified around 50 potential official sites in the city and these have now been evaluated. Identifying the three most suitable sites will provide local communities clarity about the future of the other sites, as they can then be ruled out.
The Cabinet is to be asked to support in principle the identification of the following sites:
- 15 permanent pitches in Mowhay Road, St Budeaux (east of by pass) and 15 permanent pitches (west of by pass). The site was suggested by a landowner during the public consultation.
- 10 permanent pitches at Military Road, Efford, which is owned by the City Council. This site already has planning permission for a gypsy and traveller site but plans for a 15 pitch site did not go ahead two years ago as a bid for Government funding was not successful.
- 15 transit pitches at Broadley Park in Roborough (in the South Hams but on land owned by the City Council).
While the Military Road site has planning permission, no grant funding has been secured to build it. The aim will be attract private sector interest in investing and managing sites, as other councils have successfully done.
Councillor Ted Fry, Cabinet member for Planning, Strategic Housing and Economic Development, said: "Dealing with Gypsy and Traveller sites is always going to be a controversial and sensitive issue, but it is an issue that is affecting more and more neighbourhoods. Last year we had an unprecedented number of unauthorised encampments and the costs of clearing these is rising significantly.
"By taking a strategic and proactive approach we will be able to meet the needs of Gypsies and Travellers in a planned way and avoid haphazard developments and encampment. Emerging guidance indicates that planning appeals on unauthorised developments are more likely to succeed in areas where sites have not been provided.
"By identifying these sites we are also able to remove the uncertainty about most of the 50 or so sites identified as possible locations in Plymouth."
Previous consultation
The City Council is producing a Sustainable Neighbourhoods Development Planning Document (SNDPD), which will set out how sites in Plymouth could change over the next 15 years. This includes sites for houses, shops, offices and parks, as well as gypsy and traveller sites. The SNDPD is one of a number of documents that together are known as the Local Development Framework (LDF). Sites included in the LDF still need to put in a formal planning application when they are ready to progress.
The Council's Cabinet discussed these sites on 20 January 2009. Consultation took place between 31 March 2009 and 12 May 2009 to find suitable sites for Gypsies and Travellers. We consulted on two sites, one in St Budeaux and one in Plympton. 622 comments were received from 422 individual people or organisations.
You can view the report, which includes a list of all the sites considered, below.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Visit our gypsy and travellers FAQ page. For more information on gypsies and travellers in the community visit our Social Inclusion Unit's gypsies and travellers page.
