News Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Development Plan consultation
Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) is asking for views on proposals for the future accommodation needs of the borough’s Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople communities and where new sites could be located across the borough in the future as part of a statutory consultation.
People are being asked to have their say now and have until 5pm, 12 December 2024 when the consultation closes.
The Council is in the process of creating a Development Plan Document (DPD) which will include a suitable spatial strategy, sites, and a set of policies to assess future planning applications for accommodating Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling showpeople. The consultation is the second stage of this process to gather views on the Council’s emerging direction of travel and preferred policy approaches.
Cllr Tony Harwood, Cabinet Member for Planning Policy and Management at MBC said:
“We are consulting on our emerging plan to meet the future accommodation needs of our Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople communities across the borough and we encourage these communities and everyone with an interest in creating a better and fairer Borough to have their say.”
The ambition of the plan is to achieve a step-change in delivery of high-quality, sustainable and resilient accommodation that supports improved health outcomes, community cohesion and countryside protection.
Tony continues:
“As part of this consultation, we are not yet identifying specific sites or pitches, however we are seeking views on the preferred policy approaches. We are looking at our spatial strategy in order to meet accommodation needs, to make sure we deliver well planned, high quality sites through good design and layout. The sites should allow everyone to experience a good quality of life, enable access to key services and facilities, all whilst protecting and improving our natural and built environment.“This plan recognises their long historic association with the Borough and the unique societal, health and social care challenges often faced by those from the Gypsy and Traveller communities and aims to provide all residents of the Borough with certainty over the provision of future site and accommodation needs.”
This consultation is a formal stage in the planning process, known as a Regulation 18 consultation and will help to inform the next stage - the Regulation 19 proposed submission Plan, which the Council expect to consult on in Spring 2025. For more information