Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan Document
Wiltshire's Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan Document
Wiltshire's draft Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan Document ('the Plan'), and its supporting documents, set out our strategic planning policies for meeting the accommodation needs of gypsies, travellers, and travelling showpeople[footnote 1]. It aims to:
- assess permanent and temporary accommodation needs
- identify land for sites in the right locations to meet need through sustainable development
- address unauthorised sites
- reduce tensions between traveller and settled communities
The Plan is based on robust evidence, including that gathered in the Wiltshire Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA)[footnote 2] that establishes the accommodation needs of Wiltshire's travelling community from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2038.
When adopted, the Plan will be the starting point for determining planning applications for traveller sites, alongside other relevant policies within the wider development plan and national policy, including Planning policy for traveller sites (gov.uk), the National Planning Policy Framework (gov.uk), Wiltshire's Local Plan and made neighbourhood plans (where they contain relevant policies).
Following the first stage of formal consultation (see Previous consultations (Regulation 18)), the Plan is now moving to a final stage of public consultation (see Regulation 19 consultation summer 2024), before being submitted for examination.
Once finalised, the plan will replace Core Policy 47, in the Wiltshire Core Strategy ('Meeting the needs of gypsies and travellers').
Plan timeline
The Wiltshire Local Development Scheme (LDS) sets out the Development Plan Documents (DPDs) that Wiltshire Council is focusing on, and the timeline for their preparation. Once completed they, together with other adopted documents, will form the Development Plan for Wiltshire.
The anticipated timeline for the progression of the Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan Document, according to the Wiltshire LDS, is submission of the Plan to the Secretary of State in early 2025, with the examination process to follow.
Footnotes
- The terms 'gypsies and travellers' and 'travelling showpeople' are as defined in Annex 1: Glossary - Planning policy for traveller sites (gov.uk).
- Wiltshire Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA) June 2024 (PDF) [1MB] (opens new window)