Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan Document

Since the consultation

We received over 600 comments from the public, Wiltshire Council members, businesses, community groups, and town and parish councils, as a result of the consultation. We are now working through the submissions and expect to publish all comments in the coming months. 

The outcome of the consultation will then be reported to Cabinet and Council, after which we will submit the plan, accompanying evidence, and all comments/representations received, to the Planning Inspector for independent examination^[footnote1]. We aim to do this in early 2025.

Examination hearing session(s), requests to be heard

The independent examination hearing session(s) are are, in most cases, public meetings but anyone wishing to participate in them was asked to request this in their comments/representations at the Regulation 19 stage. The Planning Inspector decides how members of the public are heard - this may be in writing, or invitation to attend and speak at the sessions.

How we ran the summer 2024 consultation

An online consultation portal was set up, and people were also able to comment by email or post. We also ran a live webinar and drop in sessions across the county for those who wanted to find out more about the plan, or had questions.

Comments at Regulation 19 stage were focused within a specific remit - Appendix A: What you can comment on in a Regulation 19 consultation. We provided information on things to consider when making a comment: Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan Document Statement of Representation Procedure (PDF, 254 KB)(opens new window)

Online consultation portal

This was the recommended route for providing comments - it was the simplest method, allowing comments directly on the plan as people looked through it. We provided Appendix B: Instructions on how to use the online consultation portal.

The portal is now closed.

Email or post

For those who preferred to have their say by email or post, we provided a template for comments: Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan Document representation form (Word doc, 49 KB)(opens new window), and the plan and supporting documents to view. Completed forms were emailed to: strategicplanning@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window), or posted to:

Strategic Planning
Planning Directorate
Wiltshire Council
County Hall
Bythesea Road
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 8JN

We advised that all comments submitted, via the online portal or otherwise, would be made public^[footnote2]

View the plan and supporting documents

An interactive policy map of all the Plan proposals was made available on our ArcGIS mapping platform (arcgis.com) (opens new window). The software allowed people to read the Plan alongside interactive maps.

An interactive map of the proposals was also made available: Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan: document portal map (opens new window). 

Supporting documents available below:

Live webinar and drop in sessions

We held a live webinar on 3 September. Those unable to attend could watch the recording at YouTube: Wiltshire Council (opens new window).

We also held five drop-in sessions across the county. These sessions have now ended. 

Footnotes

1. Following a Regulation 19 consultation, the plan is examined by the GOV.UK: Planning Inspectorate (opens new window), they decide whether it complies with any legal requirements and whether it meets the 'tests of soundness', as defined here: GOV.UK: National Planning Policy Framework (opens new window)
2. To ensure effective and fair examination, all comments (also known as representations), and the names of those making them, will be published and taken into account by the Inspector. The council therefore cannot accept anonymous representations - you must provide us with your name and contact details. Address details will not be made publicly available. All personal data will be handled in line with the council's Privacy notice - Strategic Planning and Data Protection.

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Appendix

Appendix A: What you can comment on in a Regulation 19 consultation

Regulation 19 is part of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (legislation.gov.uk) (opens new window). It says that, before submitting a draft Local Plan to the Government's Planning Inspectorate for independent examination, it must be published, and comments (known as 'representations') formally invited. A Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan forms part of a Local Plan, so the same applies.

The purpose of the independent examination is to consider whether the plan complies with the relevant legal requirements, including the duty to co-operate, and is sound. The focus for this consultation is, therefore, related to receiving representations on:

• legal Compliance - does the plan meet the legal requirements made under various statutes?
• soundness - has the plan been positively prepared, is it justified, effective, and consistent with national policy?
• meets the Duty to Cooperate - has the council engaged and worked effectively with neighbouring authorities and statutory bodies?

An example is provided below for people wishing to comment, who may not be familiar with the type of issues that can be raised.

Comments can be made on the plan as a whole, or parts of the plan such as on specific sites. So, for example, people wishing to comment on a particular site may consider the evidence informing the plan to understand why the site was selected and then set out their own views or judgements on the suitability of a site. They may relate to issues such as (but not limited to) highways, flooding, ecology, landscape or archaeology, or access to schools or health services; and have an impact on the justification of the policy - one of the tests of soundness.

Some site issues are less relevant to plan-making and would be assessed when a planning application is submitted following adoption of the Plan. For instance, detailed site layouts or how any new tree planting is arranged tend to be matters for the later planning application stage when people would be given a further opportunity to comment. Also, matters such as whether sites would affect the value of people's properties is not a relevant planning consideration.

For further information on things to consider when making representations please view the Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan Document Statement of Representation Procedure (PDF, 254 KB)(opens new window)

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Appendix B: Instructions on how to use the online consultation portal

Submitting comments (known as 'representations') via the consultation portal is done as follows:

1. go to Have your say (Consultation portal) (opens new window)
2. use the navigation pane to read through plan
3. to comment/make a representation, click on the green speech bubble at the point you wish to comment - this opens a representation form where you can add your comments
4. at the end of the representation form there is an option to upload attachment(s), should you wish to
5. when you are finished, make sure you click 'complete' and then 'submit' (you will receive an email if you have any representations you are yet to submit, to prompt you to finish them)
6. you will receive an email once your comments are submitted

See our video demonstration on how to submit comments on the Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan Document consultation: Local Plan consultation: how to submit a comment (opens new window). 

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