Sunday 23 November 2008
Gypsy & Traveller sites
One of the possible sites at Wootton Bassett

Gypsy & Traveller sites in North Wiltshire

The Executive at North Wiltshire Council have agreed that none of the 6 publicly owned sites, which were identified, are suitable for sites for Gypsy & Travellers.

The decision by the Executive was taken in a public meeting held on 03 July at the Olympiad Leisure Centre in Chippenham.

The full decision from the meeting reads as follows:
It was resolved that the Executive:
1. Notes the summary of the 6-week consultation period and thanks the people of North Wiltshire for their active participation in this process.
2. Agrees that none of the 6 publicly owned sites are suitable.
3.Being mindful of the imminent Local Government (Structural Changes) (Transitional Arrangements) Regulations 2008, which transfer responsibility for the Local Development Framework to the Implementation Executive of the preparing authority (Wiltshire County Council) and also mindful of the limited time span of North Wiltshire District Council, request that early discussions take place with Wiltshire County Council to agree a countywide approach to meeting the accommodation needs of the gypsy and traveller community – such discussions to include the consideration of any potential private sites.
4. Request Officers to seek clarification from the Government and request objective evidence as to why the number of pitches to be provided in North Wiltshire has been doubled from 24 to 48 disregarding the findings of the report commissioned by the Wiltshire Councils.
5. Reports back the concerns of the Council and the people of North Wiltshire to the appropriate Government Minister and to the MPs for the District about their recommended method and criteria of satisfying the accommodation needs of the Gypsy and Traveller community.

The decision was made after a report was prepared based on the 6 week consultation with local communities on potential sites for use by the Gypsy and Traveller community. The consultation ended on 20 June and was made available online and was presented at each of the Area Committee meetings.


Click the links below to read the Gypsy & Traveller consultation report
Click here to read the report (pdf 41KB)
Click here to see appendix A (pdf 75KB)
Click here to see appendix B (pdf 28KB)
Click here to see appendix C (pdf 38KB)
Click here to see appendix D (pdf 138KB)

Click here to see the Gypsy and Traveller Statement (pdf 287KB)
(this document provides a summary of the consultation issues)


Click here to visit the list of frequently asked questions and answers

Click here for the Gypsy and Traveller Issues and Options Consultation information


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