Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan Document

The Regulation 19 consultation runs from 9am Tuesday 20 August, to 5pm Friday 4 October 2024. It is the final opportunity for you to comment on the draft plan before it is submitted to the Planning Inspector^[footnote1] for examination.

How to have your say on the plan

You can comment via our online consultation portal, or by email or post. If you want to find out more about the plan, or have questions, we are running a live webinar and drop in sessions across the county.

At this stage, comments should be focused within a specific remit - see Appendix A: What you can comment on in a Regulation 19 consultation, where this is explained. For further information on things to consider when making a comment, see our  Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan Document Statement of Representation Procedure (PDF) [254KB] (opens new window)

Online consultation portal

The council's online consultation portal is the recommended route for providing comments. It is the simplest method for providing comments, allowing you to comment directly on the plan as you look through it. See Appendix B: Instructions on how to use the online consultation portal.

Have your say (Consultation portal) (opens new window)

Email or post

Use our  Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan Document representation form (Word doc) [49KB] (opens new window)  to provide your comments. You can view the plan and supporting documents here. Send your completed form via email to: strategicplanning@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window), or post it to:

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

All comments submitted, via the online portal or otherwise, will be made publicly available^[footnote2]

View the plan and supporting documents

The easiest way to view the Wiltshire Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan Document, and submit your comments at the same time, is on our online consultation portal: Have your say (Consultation portal) (opens new window).

An interactive policy map of all the Plan proposals has been made available on our ArcGIS mapping platform (arcgis.com) (opens new window). This software allows you to read the Plan alongside interactive maps, for instance reading a site allocation policy alongside an interactive map of the site allocation. An interactive portal map of the proposals is also available: Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan: document portal map (opens new window). 

The supporting documents are available to view as detailed below (the Plan is also available in these formats): 

Live webinar and drop in sessions

We held a live webinar on 3 September. If you were unable to attend, you can 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. 

What happens after the Regulation 19 consultation?

After the Regulation 19 consultation period, the council will consider the main issues raised and draft its response in a consultation report. It will submit the plan, accompanying evidence, and all submitted comments/representations, to the Planning Inspector for independent examination^[footnote1] in early 2025.

Request to be heard at the examination hearing session(s)

The independent examination hearing session(s) are are, in most cases, public meetings. However, if you wish to participate in the meeting, you must make this request and outline your reasons in your comments/representations at the Regulation 19 stage. The Planning Inspector will decide how members of the public are heard - this may be in writing, or they may invite you to attend and speak at the hearing sessions.

It is vital that you express your wish to participate in the examination hearing session(s) at the Regulation 19 consultation stage, when you make your comments/representations. 

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.

Back to top of page

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) [254KB] (opens new window)

Back to top of page

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). 

Back to top of page