Policy information sourced from the Mole Valley Local Plan

H5: GYPSIES, TRAVELLERS AND TRAVELLING SHOWPEOPLE ACCOMMODATION

Meeting Gypsy and Traveller Pitch Need
1. The Council will safeguard existing authorised Gypsy and Traveller sites unless the safeguarding is no longer required to meet identified needs.

2. The Council will deliver up to 34 Gypsy and Traveller pitches through the following mechanisms:
a. The appropriate intensification of pitches on allocated existing Gypsy and Traveller sites; and, b. The delivery of new pitches on new Gypsy and Traveller sites as part of the development of housing sites with a capacity exceeding 100 dwellings where this is specified in the allocation.

Meeting Travelling Showpeople Plot Need
3. The Council will safeguard existing authorised Travelling Showpeople sites unless the safeguarding is no longer required to meet identified needs.

4. Proposals to meet the identified additional accommodation need for Travelling Showpeople will be supported on previously developed sites, where the use can be accommodated without significant harm to the openness of the Green Belt, the character of the area or the amenities of nearby residential properties.

Windfall Sites
5. Additional Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople’s accommodation on sites which are not allocated within the Plan will be permitted within the boundaries of existing built up areas and villages, in the Countryside Beyond the Green Belt, or on sites which comply with policy H4 Rural Exceptions Housing, provided the proposal:

  • Would meet a clearly justified and evidenced local need which cannot be met through development on allocated sites;
  • Would provide a small scale site up to a maximum of four Gypsy and Traveller pitches or six Travelling Showpeople plots;
  • Would not cause unacceptable harm to the character of the countryside or the amenities of existing local residents and would be in accordance with all other relevant policies of this Local Plan.

6. The development of new Gypsy and Traveller sites in the Green Belt is inappropriate development and will not be approved except in very special circumstances.

Site Requirements
7. Proposals for new or additional Gypsy and Traveller pitches or Travelling Showpeople plots, including those relating to allocated sites, will be required to meet the following criteria:

  • The site has or will have safe access to and from the road network and it has or will have adequate provision for parking, turning, servicing and emergency vehicle access;
  • The site has or will have a supply of essential services, such as mains gas and electricity, water, sewerage and drainage and waste disposal;
  • The site should be laid out in a manner which provides an acceptable living environment for the occupiers, including sufficient space to enable fire safety standards to be adhered to, and be designed to a high standard including pitches, hardstandings, amenity blocks and amenity and play spaces;
  • The site should be landscaped and have boundary treatments compatible with the visual character of the area and the amenities of neighbouring land uses;
  • Commercial activities, including but not limited to the storage and maintenance of fairground equipment, should not be located where they would adversely impact the amenities of neighbouring residential properties by reason of noise, vibration, external illumination or other sources of disturbance.
  • On new sites, a minimum of three, and where possible four, Gypsy and Traveller pitches, each at least 400sqm in size, should be provided. Pitches should be grouped so as to provide a single site capable of catering for an extended family group. The site layout should clearly define the extent of the land set aside for occupation by Gypsy and Traveller households, while providing future occupiers with an equivalent standard of access to local services and any new facilities provided for the enjoyment of other residents.

For more information please see the Mole Valley Local Plan