Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Development Plan Document

Appendices

A: List of abbreviations and glossary

Different terminology for sites

B: List of evidence base and associated documents

GTAA (April 2025)

In December 2024, changes were made by the Government to the PPTS Annex 1 definition of a traveller, for planning purposes. It is the view of the specialist consultants that this does not change the overall number of pitches needed, but that more of those pitches were now for those who meet the PPTS Annex 1 definition, with fewer pitches for households where it was undetermined whether they met the Annex 1 PPTS definition.

Further, this update includes an additional chapter (Chapter 9) detailing the Pitch Deliverability Assessment (PDA) work undertaken by the specialist consultants. The purpose of the PDA is to ascertain how much of the identified pitch needs could be potentially met within the sites from which the needs have arisen.

This GTAA and the figures therein supersede all previous iterations of the GTAA.

GTAA update letter (July 2024)

In December 2023, changes were made by the Government to the PPTS Annex 1 definition of a traveller, for planning purposes. These changes were made in response to the Lisa Smith Court of Appeal Judgement that was handed down in October 2022.

It is the view of the specialist consultants that this does not change things as far the GTAA is concerned other than a slight alteration to very slightly increase need (by 2 pitches) from those households who have legitimately ceased to travel permanently; that the target for 5-year supply should also not change very much, by only an additional 2 pitches; and that Para 63 in the revised NPPF should still be used to address need from those who do not meet the revised planning definition and that this 5-year need should continue to be considered alongside wider housing need.

In summary, households who have never travelled, or have never travelled for work do not meet the 2023 PPTS planning definition of a Traveller.

GTAA (September 2023)

A Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA) is the key piece of evidence underpinning the DPD. It was first published by the Council in September 2023 and assesses the borough's current and future need for gypsy and traveller pitches and travelling showpeople plots. It expresses this need requirement according to the national policy definition and the wider cultural need; the latter of which includes those Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople who live a non-nomadic lifestyle but wish to be accommodated on a pitch or plot.

Pitch Deliverability Assessment (PDA)

A Pitch Deliverability Assessment (PDA) is included in Chapter 9 of the GTAA 2025.The purpose of the PDA is to ascertain how much of the identified pitch needs could potentially be met within the sites from which the needs have arisen, through interviews with households on existing sites. This exercise does not include any level of moderation with regard to other policy compliance matters e.g. landscaping, amenity space etc.

Sustainability Appraisal

A Sustainability Appraisal (SA) is an essential (statutory) part of the preparation of a DPD and the process of preparing the SA runs alongside the preparation of the DPD. It is designed to ensure that the plan preparation process maximises the contribution that a plan makes to sustainable development and minimises any potential adverse impacts.

The SA process appraises the likely social, environmental and economic effects of the strategies and policies within a plan (in this case the GT DPD) from the outset of its development. The SA incorporates Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) which is also a statutory assessment process.

An initial SA Scoping Report was produced, and the statutory bodies were consulted in July 2023. An interim SA Report was published alongside the Regulation 18b preferred approaches DPD.

An updated SA Report is published alongside this Regulation 18C consultation document. The recommendations included within it are to be considered along with all other consultation feedback. Alterations to the Plan will be made ahead of the Regulation 19 publication.

Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA)

A Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA) is required under the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) for any proposed plan or project which may have a significant effect on one or more European sites, for example a Special Protection Areas (SPAs) or a Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). The purpose of the HRA scoping exercise is to determine whether or not significant effects are likely and suggest ways in which they could be avoided.

A Habitats Regulation Assessment is published alongside this Regulation 18c consultation.

Site Design and Layout Study

The Site Design and Layout Study is a desktop study that will be produced to support and underpin the plan policies in respect of site design and layout. This evidence piece will be published alongside the Regulation 19 proposed submission Plan.

Viability Assessment

The NPPF expects that the preparation and review of all policies should be underpinned by relevant and up-to-date evidence. This should be adequate and proportionate, focused tightly on supporting and justifying the policies concerned, and take into account relevant market signals. The viability assessment is for planning purposes only, and as such it complies with the National Framework (as documented by the NPPF and the PPG) in testing market viability.

The purpose of this assessment is to conduct a high-level viability assessment of each potential site to identify those sites that would be most viable in contributing to the future Gypsy & Traveller and Travelling Showpeople supply of sites in Maidstone. This is to provide evidence on the achievability of the sites as potential land supply to meet the needs of the traveller community. The Government's established aim through planning is to ensure that enough land is identified and brought forward for development.

A separate Viability Assessment will be published alongside the Regulation 19 proposed submission DPD.

Equality Impact Assessment

An equality impact assessment (EqIA) is a method that helps us to consider a policy in terms of how it might affect different groups of people protected in law (the Equality Act 2010). This helps to ensure our policies are fair for all people within the district. Whilst not a formal part of the SA or SEA process, we will carry out an EqIA of the DPD against all equality dimensions to enable us to identify and reduce the potential for discrimination and to promote equality and diversity of all kinds.

An updated equality impact assessment (EqIA) is published alongside this Regulation 18c consultation.

Topic Papers

Separate topic papers have been produced to support this DPD. The purpose of these Topic Papers is to draw together all relevant background legislation, guidance and previous work, to illustrate how the DPD has been informed and iterated through various sources. These Topic Papers are iterative and will be updated as work continues to progress.

The Sites Topic Paper is published alongside this Regulation 18c DPD.

C: Duty to Cooperate process

The Localism Act of 2011 and the NPPF requires that local authorities engage constructively and actively on an ongoing basis with other Local Planning Authorities and organisations. We recognise that close working and co-operation with neighbouring boroughs is essential to meet the needs of a traditionally mobile community. Collaborative working is central to the development of this plan.

Regular duty to cooperate meetings with neighbouring planning authorities and other prescribed bodies were established through the Local Plan Review process. These have and will continue, with a focus on future DPD preparation, including this DPD. Through these meetings and the use of Statements of Common Ground where appropriate, the process of meaningful engagement on strategic cross boundary issues will be clearly set out.

A separate Compliance Statement setting out how the legal duty to cooperate has been met will be published alongside the Regulation 19 proposed submission DPD.

D: Community engagement

Community engagement for this DPD will, as a minimum, follow what is set out in the Council's Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) 2020. The Council's SCI ensures that all sections of the community, including local voluntary and community groups and organisations, key stakeholders, Parish Councils, service providers, landowners, individuals and developers, are actively involved throughout the process of preparing Development Plan Documents. In the case of this DPD, it will continue to be particularly important to involve Gypsies and Travellers, those groups which represent them, and members of the settled community likely to be affected by potential site allocations.

A separate Consultation Statement will be published alongside the Regulation 19 proposed submission DPD.