Accommodation

accommodation and also ensure that households are confident that their right to remain on sites is protected. Proposals for the loss of existing sites approved for gypsies, travellers and travelling showpeople, or sites last used for that purpose will be required to demonstrate that there is no longer a need for this type of accommodation in the plan area or that the site is no longer suitable for that use. Policy HO.9 Assessing Planning Applications for new Gypsy and Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Accommodation Proposals for the provision of permanent, temporary and transit Gypsy and Traveller pitches and Travelling Showpeople plots will be supported where they accord with national policy and other policies of this plan. Additionally, they will be considered against the following criteria: a. The site should not have any significant impact on national or local planning designations, such as Conservation Areas, Local Green Space, or on sites with heritage, ecological or biodiversity interests that cannot be mitigated; b. The site is not located within an area of designated historic or environmental importance and will not compromise the objectives of any national or local designation, including the special landscape areas, Areas of Restraint or the Cotswold AONB National landscape; c. The site will be within in a reasonable distance of schools, GP surgeries, dentists, hospitals, emergency services, shops and community facilities; d. The site is not visually intrusive; e. Adequate levels of privacy and residential amenity for occupiers and adjacent occupiers will be provided; f. Private sites should be a maximum of15 pitches; g. The location of the site will not result in unacceptable environmental impacts on the amenity of future occupiers of the site; h. The site has, or is capable of providing, safe and convenient access to the highway network and avoid any significant impact on minor rural roads. Appropriate provision will be made for turning and parking, vehicles towing caravans, emergency vehicles and servicing requirements, including waste collection. i. The site has, or can provide, adequate on-site services for water supply, mains electricity, j. Sanitation, foul and surface water drainage and for the screened storage and collection of refuse, including recyclable materials. Sustainable Drainage Systems should be used where feasible. Where it is not possible to connect to a public sewer, provision must be made for discharge to a package treatment plant or a sealed septic tank. Any planning permission granted will be subject to conditions relating to the number of pitches or plots and restricting occupancy to Gypsy and Traveller or Travelling Showpeople use. HO.9 ~ Development Management Considerations In accordance with best practice and national guidance, to ensure good site management, private sites should be a maximum of 15 pitches. Whilst a similar scale is preferred for public sites, there may be circumstances where larger public sites are appropriate where effective management can be demonstrated. Policy Justification 5.4.3 National planning policy for Gypsy, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople is set out in the NPPF and Planning Policy for Traveller Sites (PPTS) and all new sites will be expected to meet the requirements of national policy. 5.4.4 This policy sets out a criteria-based approach to assessing proposals which come forward on an ad-hoc basis for the provision of accommodation to meet the needs of gypsies, travellers and travelling showpeople. The policy provides flexibility to meet such needs on a case-by-case basis and seeks to ensure that sites are provided in appropriate and sustainable locations, and which respect both the interests and cultures of both settled and traveller communities to promote a sustainable, balanced and integrated community. 5.4.5 The criteria in the above policy will also be used together with other relevant policies of this plan to assess suitability and deliverability when planning applications are decided. It is recognised however that there are unlikely to be sites that meet every one of these criteria. A ‘best-fit’ approach will therefore be adopted. 5.4.6 A negotiated stopping policy protocol will be developed to help mitigate the impacts of unauthorised encampments. 5.4.7 It is important that an appropriate strategy is developed to deal with unauthorised encampments that occur across the South Warwickshire. Our GTAA, recommends that the councils explore the use of a ‘negotiated stopping’ approach, that in appropriate circumstances, would enable transient gypsies and travellers to stop at suitable locations for an agreed and limited period of time. The GTAA study also stipulates that this approach may be achieved in conjunction with the development and use of formal transit sites. 5.4.8 A negotiated stopping approach will be explored for South Warwickshire, and it is likely that this may be best achieved in conjunction with other local authorities across Warwickshire. To complement this approach, as part of the allocation at Harbury Lane, a formal transit site with a capacity of 8 bays is to be provided to serve the South Warwickshire Local Plan area. To ensure its effectiveness, this site will require careful management, and it is intended that will be provided in conjunction with the implementation of a Traveller support hub that is also to be located on the site. 5.4.9 The cultural practice of Travelling Showpeople is to live on a plot in a yard in static caravans or mobile homes, along with smaller caravans used for travelling or inhabited by other family members. Their equipment (including rides, kiosks and stalls) is usually kept on the same plot. Clearly, such large storage and maintenance areas have implications in terms the design of plots. Residential ame