Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Development Plan Document

Why is this plan needed?

Background

19. Gypsies and Travellers are a diverse group of communities which share some features but have their own histories and traditions. A key common feature is nomadism. Gypsy and Traveller histories, heritage and traditions distinguish them from settled communities.
     
20. Gypsies and Travellers have a long historic and cultural association with Maidstone Borough. They played an important historic role in providing labour for seasonal agricultural activities such as fruit, vegetable and hop picking. However, this seasonal work diminished in the post-World War II era when mechanisation reduced the need for manual labour – often ending their previously nomadic lifestyles.
     
21. Distinct again from these groups are Travelling Showpeople. Traditionally, they run fairs, circuses or shows, and their presence in Maidstone also goes back many years.
     
22. For the purposes of plan-making, it does not matter whether a person continues to travel or is settled, to be defined as a Gypsy, Traveller or Traveling Showperson and seek to live in culturally appropriate accommodation i.e. a caravan. The latest national plan-making definition of Gypsies and Travellers encompasses "all other persons with a cultural tradition of nomadism or of living in a caravan."
     
23. Further, Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers have protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. The Council recognises the duty to facilitate the traveller way of life and protect this without discrimination.

Why is it currently so difficult to find culturally appropriate accommodation?

24. Unlike conventional bricks and mortar housing, there are no national developers or housebuilders constructing new sites for Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople. In Maidstone borough, aside from a few identified sites carried over from the previous 2017 Local Plan that could provide approximately 22 new pitches, there is no additional land allocated for future development of this type. In contrast, the Local Plan Review (2024) plans for almost 20,000 new homes up to 2038.
     
25. Aside from local authorities who may provide new public sites, equivalent to social or affordable conventional housing, it is largely down to individuals to acquire the necessary land and planning consents, and to construct homes for themselves and their families, including securing all necessary utilities connections. This can be a complex, costly and time-consuming process and it is little wonder that under the current system, retrospective planning applications are commonplace for this type of development.

Why is it important to provide culturally appropriate accommodation?

26. For everyone – regardless of ethnicity or type of home – having no permanent accommodation can have adverse effects on quality of life and life opportunities generally. Providing permanent or even temporary accommodation significantly improves a person's ability to meet other primary needs, especially access to healthcare, education and employment opportunities. Providing culturally appropriate accommodation also enables Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople to continue to live a nomadic way of life should they wish.
     
27. Evidence shows that ethnic Gypsies and Travellers in particular suffer from some of the most extreme health disparities in our society. This is highlighted in the Kent 'Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Populations' Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (June 2023)^[1].
     
28. Having 'nowhere to go' and living on unauthorised sites or encampments can also have a direct effect on mental and physical health. This in turn can add pressure to other public services, such as the NHS.
     
29. This plan can contribute to improving health, education and social outcomes through meeting accommodation needs on lawful, high-quality, well-planned sites. It can also ensure that sites have a minimum standard of basic amenities.
     
30. The Plan seeks to improve social cohesion by providing both the settled and the travelling communities with security and certainty about their future, knowing where and when homes are likely to be provided. This in turn can help to reduce documented social tensions and allow everyone an equal opportunity to thrive in the borough.

National planning context

31. The starting points are the National Planning Policy Framework 'NPPF' (December 2024) and the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites 'PPTS' (December 2024) – read together.
     
32. The NPPF^[2] requires us to establish the need, size, type and tenure of housing for different groups including Travellers^[3]. This list is non-exhaustive.
     
33. Through the Housing and Planning Act 2016^[4] we are required to assess and plan for the housing needs of those residents who may not want conventional bricks and mortar accommodation – including culturally appropriate accommodation such as caravans.
     
34. PPTS requires us to use a robust evidence base to set pitch and plot targets for Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople as defined in Annex 1. The Council should identify:

→ deliverable sites for years 1 to 5 of the Plan (i.e. allocations);

→ developable sites or broad locations for years 6 to 10, and where possible 11 to 15.

Duty to Cooperate

35. Under the legal Duty to Cooperate, the council will continue to engage with neighbouring authorities on matters of a strategic cross-boundary nature, such as the accommodation needs of Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople. Discussions are required to identify whether any neighbouring authorities are in a position to help to accommodate any potential unmet accommodation need arising in Maidstone borough and vice versa. This will be subject to review during the plan making process and part of ongoing Duty to Cooperate discussions.

Maidstone planning context

36. In Maidstone, the Local Plan Review^[5] (LPR) was adopted by the Council in March 2024. It sets out the spatial strategy, policies and sites to sustainably deliver the borough's growth over the plan period, from 1^st April 2021 to 31^st March 2038. The LPR explains that the needs of Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople are to be addressed through the preparation of a separate Development Plan Document (DPD). This is made clear in policy LPRSS1 – Maidstone Borough Spatial Strategy, criterion 9, as follows:

"9. The council will seek to ensure that the accommodation needs of the gypsy, traveller and travelling showpeople community over the plan period will be met in full. Further details will be set out in a Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople DPD."

37. The LPR also contains the following directly relevant policies:

• LPRSP10(C) (Gypsy and Traveller site allocations) and LPRGT1(1) through LPRGT1(11)
• LPRHOU8 (Gypsy, Traveller, and Travelling Showpeople accommodation)

38. Other policies in the LPR may also be relevant and as such, the Development Plan should be read as a whole. 

How does this Plan relate to other Plans?

39. The Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Development Plan Document (GT DPD), will form part of Maidstone's Development Plan. It will carry equal weight as other DPDs, including the Local Plan Review and Neighbourhood Plans. For decision taking, the Development Plan is the starting point and should be read as a whole.
     
40. The Maidstone Local Plan Review (LPR) explains that the Council will seek to meet the identified accommodation needs of the Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople communities through policies and allocations in this Plan. It includes the total pitch and plot requirement figures from the supporting evidence^[6] published in April 2025. The LPR also includes 11 site allocations (LPRGT1(x) policies) capable of providing a net gain of 22 additional pitches. Further, policy LPRHOU8 sets out a criteria-based development management policy to guide the determination of planning applications for accommodation. These allocations and associated policies are expected to be superseded by the content of this DPD, once adopted.