Issue - meetings

The Council are required to produce the Traveller Site Availability Assessment (TSAA) in order to inform the Local Plan process.  It identifies the future accommodation needs for the period between 2017 until 2032 in accordance with the latest national planning policy guidance. 

The Committee are asked to consider the findings of the TSAA and agree to its publication.

The Committee:

(1)          Considered the findings of the TAA, agreed to its publication and agreed that there was no current requirement for the emerging Local Plan to include a target for Traveller pitch provision;

(2)          Agreed that there was an outstanding accommodation need for non-travelling Travellers and that this need should be considered as a specialised component of the Borough’s wider housing need;

(3)          Considered the outputs of the TSAA, agreed to its publication and agreed to it being used to inform the preparation of any future site allocation options;

(4)          Acknowledged and thanked the Gypsy and Traveller Working Group for their contribution towards the preparation and production of the evidence base documents.

National planning policy required the Council to plan for the future accommodation needs of the local gypsy and traveller communities and the Committee considered a report in that regard.

A cross-party Working Group had been established and had contributed to the preparation and production of the technical evidence documents that the Council was required to produce in order to inform the Local Plan process.  The Epsom and Ewell Traveller Accommodation Assessment (TAA) identified the future accommodation needs for the period between 2017 and 2032 in accordance with the latest national planning policy guidance.  The accompanying Traveller Site Availability Assessment (TSAA) considered potential sources of supply that could be brought forward to meet future accommodation needs.  It was noted that this was a separate exercise to the SHLAA as such sites were not considered as housing in planning law.

Accordingly, the Committee:

(1)          Considered the findings of the TAA, agreed to its publication and agreed that there was no current requirement for the emerging Local Plan to include a target for Traveller pitch provision;

(2)          Agreed that there was an outstanding accommodation need for non-travelling Travellers and that this need should be considered as a specialised component of the Borough’s wider housing need;

(3)          Considered the outputs of the TSAA, agreed to its publication and agreed to it being used to inform the preparation of any future site allocation options;

(4)          Acknowledged and thanked the Gypsy and Traveller Working Group for their contribution towards the preparation and production of the evidence base documents.