Public consultation on proposed South Staffordshire gipsy and traveller sites
South Staffordshire Council, along with other councils across England are required by law to assess the housing needs of all people living in the area they are responsible for.
This includes gipsies and travellers, as well as the settled community. South Staffordshire Council have asked specialist consultants to carry out a study into the housing needs of gipsies and travellers in the district, and the results showed a need for 33 new pitches up to 2028.
South Staffordshire Council are asking for your views on the suitability of potential locations for new gipsy pitches. There are enough options to meet the district's pitch requirements several times over, meaning that we have a genuine choice of where new pitches will go. This may be extending an existing site; adding more pitches to an existing site; making some current temporary or unauthorised pitches permanent; or finally, considering brand new sites.
Following the public consultation, South Staffordshire Council will then assess sites against a number of site selection criteria, such as impact on the green belt, to 'sieve' pitch options and find the most suitable locations for new pitches.
The consultation runs from Monday, October 13 to 5pm on Monday, November 24.
To find out more about the consultation you can call in to the council offices where all the documents are available to view; speak to a member of the local plans team either by phone or calling in to the council offices in Codsall. We would advise that if someone wants to speak to an officer in person that they call in advance to make sure someone is available. All consultation material is also available to view at libraries, parish council offices, and leisure centres in the district.
As this is a formal consultation stage any representations or comments need to be made in writing. They can be submitted as a hard copy, electronically or via our in-house consultation website. You should be aware that all comments will be made publicly available and will form part of a schedule of representations which will be published later in the year, together with responses from the initial issues and options consultation. If you encounter any difficulties using the online system, please email your comments to sadconsultation@sstaffs.gov.uk.
Essington Parish Council will be displaying information on the three new proposed sites - Broad Lane, Hobnock Road, and Long Lane. We will also be displaying details of the proposed extensions to the four existing sites in Bursnips Road, New Landywood Lane, and the two sites on the Stafford Road (A34) Newtown.
