Agenda item

Report by Head of Place (attached).

The Executive considered a report by the Head of Place (circulated previously), the options and/or alternatives and other relevant facts set out in the report regarding the provision of a Gypsy and Traveller site at Seven Brethren, Barnstaple.

The Head of Place highlighted the following:

·         There was a need for a Gypsy and Traveller transit site within North Devon as identified in the newly adopted Local Plan.  Currently there was only a single ‘toleration site’, and this was located at Seven Brethren.

·         The Council had been awarded £2.2 million of Land Release Fund to bring forward 245 residential units on Council owned land at Seven Brethren, Barnstaple.  The Council’s commitment to build a new leisure centre, freed up this land for its wider redevelopment.

·         An alternative location for the “toleration” site needed to be secured to ensure that the redevelopment of Seven Brethren was not delayed.

·         It was proposed that the “toleration” site was relocated to another site on Seven Brethren in the short term.

·         In the medium term a new transit site would need to be identified but a recent call for sites produced nothing suitable and further options, including acquiring a site, were being explored by Officers.

In response to questions, the Head of Place advised:

·         Other Local Authorities seek to make provision for Gypsy and Travellers over a number of years, however if an alternative site was not found and the toleration site had to remain where it was then the Land Release Fund could not be drawn down as the site was within the development area.

·         The Council would need to commit to looking for and finding a permanent solution.  An Officer group would be set up to progress this and further reports brought to the Executive to update on progress.  The Joint Local Plan would need to include the allocation of a site.

·         As part of the Joint Local Plan, both North Devon Council and Torridge District Council were required to identify toleration and transit sites.

In response to questions, the Acting Regeneration Manager advised:

·         The area identified for the location of the temporary “toleration” site as detailed in Appendix A.  The exact location within the area identified had not yet been agreed.

·         The Land Release Fund expects this land to be released for housing no later than March 2020. However, it had been acknowledged by the Local Government Association, who was administering the fund that this could be extended until December 2020.

·         If the “toleration” site could not be relocated in the shorter term, then the land could not be released for development.  Due to the timescales, it was not possible for a permanent site to be found within that period.

·         A meeting was in the process of being arranged with the Showmen’s Guild regarding the location of the fair.

·         Clarification of the wording of paragraph 4.5, that there were no obvious alternative sites at Seven Brethren, however there were other pieces of land owned by the Council across Seven Brethren and other land holdings with various lease arrangements. 

In response to questions, the Head of Resources advised:

·         An historic agreement was in place with the Showmen’s Guild for the location of the fair at Seven Brethren.  The space allocated was currently exceeded.  The location and area required moving forwards would form part of the discussions with the Showmen’s Guild.  This was a separate part of the project and a report would be brought back to Members in due course.

In response to questions, the Head of Corporate and Community advised:

·         There were different categories for Gypsy and Traveller sites: permanent, toleration and transit.  A toleration site was not a formal site but was somewhere where unauthorised encampments could be directed and where planning enforcement action will not be undertaken. A transit site only provided for temporary stays but would have planning permission and provide hardstanding’s, electric hook up and a bathroom and individual pitches will be clearly defined.

·         Corporately Members and Officers would need to work together to identify a transit site as a priority following the Elections.  The Senior Management Team had already agreed that the Head of Place would lead on this project.