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4. Under enforce, to enable current occupants to remain on the site, but enforce the terms of the occupancy condition for future occupants: this would provide some security for the present occupants, but at the same time make it clear that continued breaches of the occupancy conditions would be unacceptable. 3.4 3.5 Members resolved to pursue option 4. This means that no action is being taken against people already living on the sites affected, but that the Council will require any future sales or leases of the plots to be to bona-fide gypsies and travellers. The intention was that over time the two sites will revert to being available for use by gypsies and travellers. This site now has 7 units occupied in breach of the occupancy condition. The current application has been submitted by a caravan owner/occupier rather than the site owner. This application has been submitted following a recent determination by the Planning Committee to approve a similar proposal to remove occupancy conditions at Oxcliffe New Farm in January 2009 under application numbers 08/01287/RCN and 08/01303/RCN. Application Number Proposal Decision 2/2/3536 Change of use for 6 caravan pitches for Gypsies and travellers 1/84/1172 Change of use of derelict land to private gypsy site with 14 pitches and ablution blocks 97/01194/CU Change off use of land to provide 20 additional pitches for gypsies and travellers 4.0 Consultation Responses 4.1 The following responses have been received from statutory consultees: Approved on appeal in 1985 Approved 1997 Statutory Consultee Strategic Housing Officer Environmental Health Parish Council Response Concerns over the potential loss of designated residential Gypsy/traveller pitches. Policy L6 of the draft North West Plan Partial Review sets out requirements for Gypsy and traveller accommodation across the Region for 2007 to 2016. Lancaster District must provide an additional minimum of 40 permanent pitches and 5 transit pitches by 2016. This should also account for any net loss in provision since 2007. The council is unlikely to achieve the minimum targets during the first five year planning period (up to 2012) because of existing net loss in private pitches as a result of previous planning consents for removal of conditions. The Council should consider refusal of the application to remove occupancy conditions to ensure projected targets are met. Unable to raise a formal objection as EHO has to grant a site licence subject to planning consent. However, concern is raised over the loss of provision and the need for the council to provide additional pitches by 2016 in line with Government forecasts. Presently the district is under provided for such pitches. No comments to date – any comments will be reported directly to committee. 5.0 Neighbour Representations 5.1 Any other representations received will be reported orally at Committee. 6.0 Principal Development Plan Policies 6.1 6.2 The development needs to be considered in respect to : - Regional Spatial Strategy – North West Plan Partial Review July 2009 states that: - A key Government objective is providing decent homes for all, including the Gypsy and Traveller
communities. This means ensuring that sufficient and suitable provision is made to meet the needs of these communities. 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 The draft submitted North West Plan Partial Review was published in September 2008 and contains new policies including one for Gypsy and Travellers accommodation provision (Policy L6). The intention is for these policies to be included in the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS). In summary this sets out an overall requirement for at least 825 net additional residential pitches the region over the period 2007 to 2016: Table 7.2 Scale and Distribution of Gypsy and Traveller Pitch Provision of the Review indicates that in order to achieve this net increase in pitches over the region, Lancaster District must provide an additional 40 permanent and 5 transit pitches for Gypsies and Travellers raising authorised provision of permanent residential pitches from 142 to 182. Crucially, these are minimum targets, should be met by 2016, and should account for any net loss in provision. The Lancaster District Core Strategy provides indicative criteria for the location of Gypsy and Travellers. In addition it clarifies that such needs have been investigated by the Lancashire Sub regional Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation and Related Service assessment (2007). The assessment showed that existing provision in 2007 was broadly meeting local needs. It also identified a need for around 16 additional pitches by 2011 and a further 7-8 by 2016. Policy SC4 seeks to ensure that housing needs are met through housing Allocation and the planning process in a way which builds sustainable communities. Gypsy and Travellers provision is considered to be part of the housing provision. "Saved" policies in the Lancaster District Local Plan are particularly relevant to the proposal: Policy H15, which states that the Council will refuse consent for proposals which would result in the loss of existing gypsy sites unless it can be shown that they are no longer needed, or that alternative provision can be made of a comparable standard elsewhere. Policy H16 provides guidance on the establishment of or extension of gypsy sites. The policy seeks to ensure that additional pitches are only provided to meet genuine need and provides guidance on the location of such sites. The preferred location being in or adjacent to existing settlements and within reasonable distance of local services and schools. The site should also provide acceptable living environment and not cause significant harm to neighbouring amenity. 7.0 Comment and Analysis 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 The purpose of an occupation restriction of this kind is not to segregate gypsies from the community as a whole. It is to ensure an adequate stock of gypsy sites within the District. Gypsies (and Irish travellers, who form a separate community) frequently have difficulty obtaining land suitable for their requirements and local planning authorities are required to make appropriate provision for their needs. Saved Policy H15 of the Lancaster District Local Plan reflects the concerns over the loss of established pitches and seeks to refuse and proposal which would result in the loss of existing approved gypsy site provision. Exceptionally loss of provision in that location could be supported if the applicant has satisfactorily demonstrated the site is no longer needed to meet existing or future needs for gypsy provision in the District or alternative provision has been made of a comparable standard on an appropriate site. This requirement for provision is more pertinent now given the additional pitch requirement (40 pitches) contained within the RSS partial review and the net loss of provision already suffered with the loss of 23 pitches at Oxcliffe New Farm. The site has 23 residential pitches currently due to layout, size and orientation of the units however, as indicated earlier in the report the site has consent for 40 units which form a large part of the current gypsy/traveller provision for the District. The loss of such a large number of pitches would further add to the net loss of pitches in relation to the 2007 position and lead to a demand to find 80 additional pitches within the District before 2016. The current pitches are ideally located as they lie within the urban area and are located close to
Page 1: Agenda Item A7 Application Site Com

Hale Carr Caravan Park, Hale Carr Lane, Heysham PDF 66 KB

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