Decision details

The Cabinet will be asked to endorse the outcome of a site appraisal process and recommendations for future sites to support the needs of the Traveller community, which will form part of the Draft Local Plan that will proceed to the main public examination stage later this year.

Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Note that of the three sites previously approved for allocation as Gypsy and Traveller Provision in the draft Local Plan, two had been withdrawn by the landowners and, therefore, the extension of the existing site at Eastbrookend Country Park represented the only site available to contribute to the identified need within the first five years of the Local Plan period;

(ii)  Confirm, after consideration of the assessment of all potential sites identified based on their suitability for traveller pitches set out in section 2 and Appendix A of the report, that 47 Thames Road would not be available due to the identified financial and social implications and its future inclusion in the Thames Road Transformation Zone;

(iii)  Note that in view of 47 Thames Road being deemed unavailable and in the absence of any further sites being deemed suitable, a shortfall of 13 pitches remained within the Local Plan period which presented a risk to the soundness of the Council’s Local Plan; and

(iv)  Commit to the provision of a state-of-the-art, modern Gypsy and Traveller site within the strategic proposals for the Castle Green Transformation Area with the aim being to meet the Borough’s future requirements for its Gypsy and Traveller community.