HOU04 Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation
This sets out how the Council will meet the needs of Gypsy and Traveller households in the Borough.
Policy HOU4: Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation
The Council will make provision for the accommodation needs of Gypsy and Travellers who meet the national Planning Policy for Traveller Sites (PPTS) definition, through allocated sites within the Local Plan.
1. Proposals which fail to protect existing Gypsy and Traveller sites or involve a loss of pitches/ plots will not be permitted unless it can be demonstrated that they are no longer required or equivalent alternative provision can be made.
2. The Council will make provision for at least 235 additional sites over the Local Plan Period.
Period 2023-20282029-20342035-20392040-2043
No of pitches delivered 13 72 94 56
To meet this need:
a. Within Strategic Housing Allocations in order to meet the need Gypsies and Traveller households that do and do not meet the planning definition residential development proposals on strategic sites providing 400+ units will be required to provide a number of pitches within the site or provide alternative land that meets the criteria set out in part 3 of this policy to accommodate the required number of pitches. Commuted sum payments to contribute to development of pitches elsewhere will only be considered where it is demonstrated that on site delivery is not achievable due to site constraints and that there are no suitable and available alternative sites for the required number of pitches that can be secured by the developer.
b. The calculations for this policy will be 1 Gypsy and Traveller pitch per 100 units
3. Any applications for planning permission for Gypsy and Traveller sites must meet the following local design and location criteria:
a. be reasonably accessible to community services and facilities;
b. If located in the Green Belt, make use of previously developed land and/or Grey Belt Land;
c. be of sufficient size to accommodate the proposed number of caravans, vehicles, and ancillary areas with adequate provision for storage, recreation space, amenity provision and utility services;
d. have no significant adverse impact on the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside;
e. would not lead to the loss of, or adverse impact on, important historic and natural environment assets;
f. ensure that future occupiers would not be subject to significant adverse environmental impacts including no significant risk of land contamination or poor air quality or unacceptable risk of flooding;
g. have or be provided with safe and convenient vehicular access to the local highway network;
h. have essential services (water, electricity, and foul drainage) available on-site or can be made available on-site in accordance with relevant service provider standards.
i. Any permission granted for a Gypsy and Traveller development will be subject to a condition limiting occupation to Gypsies and Travellers.
Reasoned Justification
Planning Policy for Traveller Sites (PPTS) states that:
For the purposes of this planning policy “Gypsies and Travellers” means: Persons of nomadic habit of life whatever their race or origin, including such persons who on grounds only of their own or their family’s or dependants’ educational or health needs or old age have ceased to travel temporarily or permanently, and all other persons with a cultural tradition of nomadism or of living in a caravan, but excluding members of an organised group of travelling showpeople or circus people travelling together as such.
Site refers to an area of land on which Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople are accommodated in caravans, chalets, or vehicles. Can contain one or multiple pitches or plots. Pitch/plot is an area of land on a site or development generally home to one household. Can be varying sizes and have varying caravan numbers. Pitches refer to Gypsy and Traveller sites and Plots to Travelling Showpeople yards. Yard is a name often used by Travelling Showpeople to refer to a site.
The South Essex Gypsy Traveller Accommodation Assessment 2024 (GTAA 2024) identified that there will be a need for pitches for 127 households who meet the planning definition set out above.
The GTAA 2024 identified a need for 140 households where it was unknown if they met the planning definition as contact could not be made or was refused. The GTAA 2024 recommended that a locally derived proportion (77%) of these households were assumed to meet the planning definition set out above. This resulted in a need for 108 pitches
Therefore, there is a need for the Local Plan to make provision for at least 235 Gypsy and Traveller households which meet the planning definition and up to an additional 67 households which do not meet the planning definition.
The Council considers that there are exceptional circumstances to justify releasing land in the Green Belt to meet these needs, including the unavailability of non-Green Belt land and the acute need for additional pitches.
Since 1/4/2023 planning permission has been granted for 13 new Gypsy and Traveller Pitches and a further 10 have been secured by planning obligation on Draft Strategic Housing Allocation H25 (Gardiners Lane South).
Site
Basildon Borough currently contains one public Gypsy and Traveller Site, Hovefields, Courtauld Road which contains 25 pitches.
All the gypsy, traveller and travelling show peoples’ sites within Basildon Borough are located within the Green Belt.
A ‘Call for Sites’ for Gypsy Traveller and Travelling Show peoples’ sites was held however no land was promoted for Gypsy and/or Traveller sites.
No of Pitches granted planning permission (Net additional)
Land East of The Firs, Osborne Road, Bowers Gifford 2
Land North West of Hillview, Southend Arterial Road, Nevendon 6
Land between the Whisperings and Celandine, Osborne Road 1
The Paddocks, Grange Road 1
Land adj. Studland Avenue 1
The Paddocks, Grange Road 1
Land South of Newlands Road 1
The Council will work positively to secure delivery under Policy HOU4 to meet local needs when land becomes available to meet the shortfall in pitch provision.
To further support an expanded provision of accommodation, the allocated and existing pitch supply will be protected. This will be achieved by retaining conditions relating gypsy and traveller status on existing permissions and imposing new conditions limiting the use of the land to gypsies and travellers where new planning permissions are considered on this basis.
Within Basildon Borough there are 55 private sites with planning permission. The South Essex Gypsy Traveller Accommodation Assessment 2024 found that 5 of these pitches were vacant and 24 were occupied by non-Gypsy and Traveller households. Therefore, potentially there are 29 private sites which could contribute towards meeting the need for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation.
There are 31 pitches on tolerated sites and 59 pitches on unauthorised sites. These are all located within the Green Belt. The NPPF states that ‘For the purposes of plan-making and decision-making, ‘grey belt’ is defined as land in the Green Belt comprising previously developed land and/or any other land that, in either case, does not strongly contribute to any of purposes (a), (b), or (d) in paragraph 143.’ The Basildon Borough Green Belt Study 2023 found that development of 58 of pitches would cause high or very high harm to at least one of these purposes. The remaining sites were found to cause moderate harm to all three purposes. Therefore, these sites are not considered to be ‘grey belt’ land at this time.
36 of the tolerated or unauthorised sites, with a total capacity of 57 pitches, are located within Provisional Draft Strategic Allocations which are proposed to be released from the Green Belt. If these Draft Strategic Allocations are released from the Green Belt through the plan making process, the status of these sites could be regularised, subject to meeting the criteria set out in point 3 of HOU4.
This means that the Council is dependent upon strategic housing allocations being released from the Green Belt to deliver the scale of new gypsy and traveller sites required. Consequently, a large portion of the required sites can only be delivered later in the plan period.
In total the need for Gypsy and Traveller Housing would be met as follows:
Delivery and planning consents granted in plan period
Pitches secured by planning obligation on Gardiners Lane South (Draft Strategic Housing Allocation H25)
Pitches occupied by non Gypsy and Traveller households Up to 2900290
Potential unauthorised and tolerated sites located in draft strategic allocations. Up to 570 57 00
Potential new sites on strategic housing allocations excluding draft Housing Allocation H25
To meet the remaining shortfall, proposals for gypsy and traveller pitches and travelling showpeople plots outside of the allocated sites will be determined in accordance with national policy, and having regard to relevant material considerations, including recognising the importance of meeting any remaining unmet gypsy and traveller site needs. Permission will be granted on a permanent basis wherever possible subject to the local design and location criteria set out in point 3 of the above policies.
The Council will also continue to work with neighbouring authorities to identify a strategic approach to meeting the needs of Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople in accordance with the requirements of national policy.
Alternatives Considered
To provide for only the 127 households who meet the planning definition- The GTAA 2024 recommended against this approach.
No Policy- This would not meet the Council’s obligation under National Planning Policy to make provision for Gypsy and Travellers households.
Consider allocating all unauthorised and tolerated sites which had been developed on 18/11/2024 which meet the criteria set out in 3b-i. This policy has some merit as it could deliver up to 19 additional pitches which could be delivered within the first five years of the plan period. However, 10 these sites have been identified as making a strong contribution to at least one of the Green Belt purposesd a) to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas; b) to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another or d) to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns and 9 of these sites have been identified as making a moderate contribution to all three purposes a,b and d.
Consider requiring a higher proportion of Gypsy and Traveller sites on strategic allocations being released from the Green Belt subject to an assessment of viability. This has some merit as it would assist Basildon Council to meet housing needs in full for Gypsy and Travellers and reduce the reliance on windfall sites which may not be in the most sustainable locations.
