1  Implications of the proposal

1.1  Legal/Human Rights Implications

1.1.1  When undertaking its plan-making function, the Council has a duty to plan for all groups in society including, for example, Gypsies and Travellers and Travelling Showpeople. The GTAA provides the technical evidence to inform decisions about current and future need and demand for Gypsy and Traveller pitches and Travelling Showpeople plots.

1.2  Financial

1.2.1  Failure to base plan proposals on robust technical evidence runs the risk of the Gypsy and Traveller Plan being found unsound at examination. A plan that is found unsound has significant financial and resource implications.

1.3  Environmental

1.3.1Failure to adequately plan for the provision of Gypsy and Traveller pitches and Travelling Showpeople plots could result in an increase in unauthorised sites and/or sites in locations that the Council does not consider sustainable.

1.4  Corporate Strategy

1.4.1  The GTAA contributes to meeting Objectives 2 and 3 of the Council’s Corporate Strategy.

1.5  Analysis of the effects on Equality

1.5.1  When undertaking its plan-making function, the Council has a duty to plan for all groups in society including, for example, Gypsies and Travellers and Travelling Showpeople. Failure to adequately plan for such accommodation could result in a lack of appropriate accommodation.

2  Risk Assessment

2.1  Failure to adequately plan for the provision of Gypsy and Traveller pitches and Travelling Showpeople plots could result in an increase in unauthorised sites and/or sites in locations that the Council does not consider sustainable. Failure to base plan proposals on robust technical evidence also runs the risk of the Gypsy and Traveller Plan being found unsound at examination.

3  Conclusion

3.1  Proposals contained within the Gypsy and Traveller Plan should be based on robust technical evidence, including of need and demand for Gypsy and Traveller pitches and Travelling Showpeople plots. The Updated GTAA provides that robust and up-to-date assessment and will help ensure that the Gypsy and Traveller Plan can be found sound at examination.