Agenda item - Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan Document

To receive a report from the Corporate Director - Place

That Cabinet:

1) Approves the ‘Gypsies and Travellers Plan - Pre-submission Draft Development Plan Document’at Appendix 1 subject to amendment in 3.

2) Recommends to Full Council on 24 July 2024 that the Gypsies and Travellers Plan - Pre-submission Draft Development Plan Document at Appendix 1 (subject to modification in (3)) be approved for publication in line with Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended), for a period of at least six weeks public consultation.

3) Authorises the Director for Planning in consultation with the Director for Legal and Governance and Cabinet Member for Finance, Development Management and Strategic Planning: to make any necessary minor changes to the Pre-submission Draft Development Plan Document before it is published; to finalise the associated evidence documents for publication alongside the Plan; and to make arrangement for and undertake statutory consultation.

Reason for Proposals

To ensure the council continues to make progress in updating its Local Plan, and alongside the wider Wiltshire Local Plan review in line with the timescale set out in the recently approved Local Development Scheme and statutory requirements.

Alongside the wider Wiltshire Local Plan review, the Plan will help ensure that the council is planning to meet the accommodation needs of all different sectors of Wiltshire’s community.

Cllr Nick Botterill, Cabinet Member for Finance, Development Management, and Strategic Planning, introduced the report seeking approval for the pre-submission draft Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan Document to be formally published for a final stage of consultation (Regulation 19), and to set out the arrangements for that consultation. This would be subject to confirmation by Full Council on 24 July 2024.

Cllr Botterill set out the need to develop a plan including the identification of site allocations and development of criteria based policy to assess future sites. The plan will help remove present uncertainty and achieve greater control in the provision of sites, it is based on professionally assessed evidence of demand, and currently national policy prevails in the absence of an agreed local plan. It was emphasised that a Planning Inspector would examine the plan, and objections to policies or sites would need to be planning based.

Cabinet Members provided comments on the report, including requesting that the public be advised on the types of planning grounds which were relevant when people were to respond to the consultation.

Cllr Jerry Kunkler, Chairman of the Environment Select Committee, stated there had been several informal briefings to the Committee in early 2024. Though at that time this had not included details of specific sites, the process and details had been provided to explain how the sites might be identified.

Cllr Gordon King, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, noted the Member Briefing which had taken place the week prior to Cabinet, and encouraged everyone to participate in the consultation moving forward, as well as supporting further information to be provided on how to comment.

A statement was received from a member of the public, Geoff Minshell. Concerns were raised regarding a particular site in Cleverton, noting concurrent enforcement action at the existing site. It was requested that the site be removed from the draft plan ahead of any consultation.

Cllr Botterill responded by noting that part of the purpose of the consultation was to draw out details of concerns or issues with sites The Leader and officers explained that all comments received through the consultation would be considered, but to remove a site without the evidence from such a consultation would not be appropriate at this stage.

A further statement was received from Haydn Reynolds regarding degradation of existing sites and the impact of that on the plan. It was stated in response that the conditions of a site were a relevant factor.

At the conclusion of discussion, and on the motion of Cllr Nick Botterill, seconded by Cllr Richard Clewer, it was then,

Resolved: