Decision Maker: Cabinet
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
Decisions:
The Cabinet had before it a
report * from the Director of Place and Economy on the Mid Devon
Gypsy and Traveller accommodation assessment report.
The Cabinet Member for Planning
and Economic Regeneration outlined the contents of the report with
particular reference to the following:
- The number of pitches
that were needed to provide permanent new homes for gypsies and
travellers and plots to provide permanent new homes for travelling
showpeople in the period 2023 to 2045.
- The interim targets
were needed for development management purposes and would provide
the basis for 5 year supply calculations. Those targets would also
be included in the new local plan for the Council.
- The National Planning
Policy required the Council to undertake an assessment of the
housing needs for different groups in the community. This included
the housing needs of gypsies, travellers and travelling
showpeople.
- The assessment of the
housing need provided technical information that could be used to
help inform the preparation of the development plans and other
plans, programmes and strategies, and also the determination of
planning applications.
- A new Gypsy and
Traveller Accommodation Assessment for Mid Devon had been
undertaken by consultants “Opinion Research Services”
and the final report was completed in September 2024. Similar
studies had also been completed for Teignbridge District Council,
Exeter City Council and East Devon District Council. The assessment
replaced the previous assessment that was completed in 2015 and the
findings of that study.
- The interim targets
included the provision for: households that met the national
planning definitions for gypsies, travellers and travelling
showpeople; Households whose status was ‘undetermined’
(those who were unable to be interviewed), and also households that
had not currently met the national planning
definitions.
- This approach ensured
that all the identified housing needs of the travelling community
in Mid Devon were taken into consideration and would be planned
for. It would provide headroom to mitigate where sites with
planning permission may not come forward. Crucially, it would help
ensure the Council met the duties of the Equalities Act 2010 and
Housing Acts of 1985 and 2016.
- The assessment
provided a forecast of housing needs based on travelling households
who were residing on established sites in Mid Devon at the time of
the survey. The household interviews undertaken for the assessment
had identified no households living in other local authorities with
a need to move to a site in Mid Devon.
- The Cabinet would
note that the assessment had been unable to recommend targets for
transit sites. This was due to the absence of detailed and
consistent data that would be required through the monitoring of
encampments across local authority areas. Officers would be
investigating with colleagues from other local planning authorities
on how to move forward.
- The recommendations
included in the report had been considered and endorsed by the
Planning Policy Advisory Group.
Discussion took place
regarding:
- The Gypsy Traveller
Accommodation Assessment had not been able to make recommendations
about the need for the provision of transit sites in Mid Devon and
the working progress of this.
- When visitors came to
transit sites they would bring their own accommodation for a short
time.
- More data in regards
to transit sites to be provided at a later stage.
RESOLVED
that:
- The contents of this
report and the Mid Devon Gypsy and Traveller
Accommodation Assessment (Appendix 2) be NOTED.
- The recommended
interim targets included in Table 1 and Table 2 of this report to
help guide decisions taken on planning applications for pitches to
provide homes for gypsies and travellers and plots to provide homes
for travelling showpeople be APPROVED.
(Proposed by Cllr S Keable and
seconded by Cllr G DuChesne)
Reason for decision: As stated
in the report
Note: * Report previously
circulated.
Publication date: 22/11/2024
Date of decision: 12/11/2024
Decided at meeting: 12/11/2024 - Cabinet
Accompanying Documents: