FI14423
Request
- Since 2016, how many new traveller sites have been created within the council’s area?
- How much money has been spent on delivering or attempting to deliver pitches since 2016?
- How many pitches has the council calculated it still needs?
Response
The Council holds data from 2018, which is the date on which the Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment was completed. Pitch occupations and the extant supply are set out in the document titled Gypsy and Traveller Pitches Need and Supply Update Note. Since that note was published in July 2023, a further site was granted planning permission at Sherleys Farm in St Margarets at Cliffe. There have been consents for a total of 29 pitches.
The identification of needs for the delivery of Gypsy and Traveller sites and the preparation of a strategy to meet that need has been an integral part of the emerging Local Plan (2040) process. The Local Plan also seeks to allocate sites to meet the whole housing needs, employment needs and infrastructure needs, and includes numerous consultations, research and policy preparation to protect the environment and communities and to deliver sustainable development. It is not possible to disaggregate the proportion of Local Plan preparation costs that could be attributed to delivery of Gypsy and Traveller pitches.
The Council has calculated that it has met the whole pitch need for the period of the Local Plan. This is kept under review. Some additional intensification sites are proposed to be included in Policy H3 of the emerging Local Plan.