Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople Review
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Shortly before the full draft South East Plan was submitted to Government in March 2006, new regulations set out the need to include information on the number of Gypsy and Traveller pitches required in the region. As it was not possible to include this data before the Plan submission deadline, the Assembly has launched a partial review of the Plan to cover this issue. Transit StudyThe draft policy submitted to Government proposes allocations for residential Gypsy and Traveller pitches, and requires that local authorities work together on a county group basis to identify additional requirements for transit accommodation, taking into account the findings of the Regional Transit Study below. The report is advisory and has no formal planning status. Preferred Option ConsultationOn 4 March 2009 the Assembly considered public consultation feedback and selected a preferred option for submission to Government as regional advice on provision of pitches for GTTS in the South East. This will replace policy H7 in the South East Plan (proposed changes version). Public consultation on the preferred option by the Government ran until 1 September 2009. To view or comment on the draft policy and supporting documents please visit the Government Office for the South East website (GOSE). In support of the pre-submission consultation statement, which is available on the GOSE website, a number of additional resources are available below: The draft policy will be independently examined in the first week of February 2010. Details and documents are on the Planning Inspectorate's website. Issues and Options Public ConsultationPublic consultation ran from 1 September to 21 November 2008. We received around 1200 responses on providing places to live for Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople in the South East. A number of exhibitions took place around the region. A timetable of these is available on the events page. New spaces will cut homelessness among Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling showpeople and help reduce unauthorised encampments. In light of emerging methods for calculating Gypsies' and Travellers' accommodation needs, local authorities requested the opportunity to build on their existing evidence base before the formal consultation on options, originally scheduled for May 2008. Issues and Options Consultation documents
FactsheetThe factsheet below explains the preparation process and background information. FilmTo help clarify the issues surrounding this review, the Assembly has produced a short film including interviews with some of the people directly affected.
Updated timetableLocal authorities submitted revised stage two advice to the Assembly in April 2008, ensuring this is comprehensive and robust. This replaces stage one advice submitted in late 2007. The Assembly has therefore revised the timetable for the Partial Review, which was confirmed in a letter to local authorities: Key datesSeptember to October 2006Public consultation on Project Plan and Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report October 2006 to June 2007Completion of local authority Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessments December 2006 to 15 October 2007Preparation of local authority stage one advice to the Assembly to inform the Partial Review 30 January 2008Regional Planning Committee considers advice and draft consultation options. 5 March 2008The Assembly defers a decision on draft consultation options to allow time for consideration of any additional local evidence. End of March 2008Submission of advice on Travelling Showpeople and Transit sites End of April 2008Submission of any additional stage two evidence on Gypsies' and Travellers' site provision. This does not mean revisiting the GTAA, but a full and robust consideration of additional evidence and local circumstances to build on the GTAA 21 May 2008Regional Planning Committee considers any updated stage two advice, draft consultation options and Sustainability Appraisal 16 July 2008The Assembly agrees options for consultation September to November 200812-week public consultation on options for allocating new pitches across the region December 2008 to January 2009Analysis of consultation responses 28 January 2009Regional Planning Committee considers public consultation responses and preferred option 4 March 2009The Assembly agrees a preferred option and responses to public consultation June 2009Submission of draft Partial Review document and Sustainability Appraisal to Government. Earlier InformationDocuments from the earlier stages of the Gypsy and Traveller Review are available on this page.
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To help clarify the issues surrounding this review, the Assembly has produced a short film including interviews with some of the people directly affected.
