Horsham District Council : Agenda item - Draft Gypsy and Travellers Site Allocation Document Preferred Strategy

To receive the report of the Cabinet Member for Planning and Development

RESOLVED

(i) That the draft Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Site Allocations Development Plan Document and accompanying Sustainability Appraisal documentation be published for an eight week period of consultation from 1^st December 2017 to 26^th January 2018.

(ii) That the Cabinet Member for Planning and Development be authorised to agree minor editorial changes.

REASONS

(i) To ensure that the statutory requirements in The Housing Act 2004 and Town and County Planning (Local Planning) England Regulations 2012 are met in terms of seeking to provide for Gypsy and Traveller pitches to meet the identified need and inviting public participation in the preparation of a new planning document for the District.

(ii) To allow for minor editorial changes. Any significant changes to the draft document would need to be reported back to Cabinet for approval before publication for consultation.

One member of the public spoke in objection to the inclusion of the Smithers Rough site in the draft Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Site Allocations Development Plan Document.

The Director of Planning, Economic Development and Property presented a report on behalf of the Cabinet Member for Planning and Development seeking approval for the publication of the draft Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Site Allocations Development Plan Document for an eight week period of consultation, between 1^st December 2017 and 26^th January 2018. The consultation would be run in accordance with the Council’s Statement of Community Involvement, which had been adopted in February 2017.

The draft document was an updated version of the Draft Gypsy and Traveller Site Allocations of Land Document Development Plan Document - Preferred Strategy that had been published for consultation in April 2017. It had been necessary to prepare an updated document in light of the responses received on the earlier consultation and as a result of further technical work. A number of sites included in the April 2017 document were no longer available for Gypsy and Traveller use (Hurston Lane, Storrington; Fryern Road, Storrington; Parson’s Field, Pulborough; and Rowfield Nursery, Billingshurst) and a new site was proposed at Bromeliad Nursery, Billingshurst. It was also proposed to increase the number of pitches at Smithers Rough from 12 to 15.

It was necessary to consult on these potential changes before considering the next stage of the Plan preparation and, if agreed for consultation, the document would not form Council policy at this stage.

Also, since the report had been written, planning applications at Oakdene, Blackgate Lane had been granted and it was proposed that, if approved, the document would be factually updated to reflect this situation.

Any representations submitted during the consultation period would be considered at a future meeting. This could include evidence updates or further work on proposed sites or consideration of new land/ sites that could be proposed to the Council as part of the consultation.

A Proposed Submission version of the Development Plan Document, incorporating the comments received, would then need to be agreed by the Council for a minimum six week consultation under Regulation 19 of the Town And Country (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012. All comments made at that stage would be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate together with the draft plan and any proposed modifications for independent examination. It was anticipated that the Proposed Submission consultation would be held in late spring/early summer 2018, with the Examination of the plan in autumn 2018 and that the document would be adopted in late 2018/early 2019, depending on the timescales set by the Planning Inspectorate.

The Planning and Development Policy Development Advisory Group had supported the proposed approach to publish a draft site allocations document for consultation.

Members of Cabinet emphasised the importance of having a policy document in place in order to be able to deal with unauthorised sites. They also emphasised that, at this stage, the document was for consultation purposes only and that all representations received would be assessed and considered before the Proposed Submission Document was produced.

The Director of Planning, Economic Development and Property responded to Members questions regarding the role and input of West Sussex County Council’s highways team and also confirmed that the Gypsy and Traveller community had been consulted on the proposals.

Other Members also commented on the need to have a policy in place.