More accommodation is likely to be needed in the county for gypsies and travellers over the next five years, according to an assessment carried out by Powys County Council.
The council’s Housing Service has completed the latest Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA). The Welsh Government requires all local authorities to produce an assessment once every five years.
The assessment is intended to give the council the information needed to plan strategically for meeting the current and future needs of gypsies and travellers. It also contributes to the evidence base for the preparation of the local development plan (LDP), the principal planning guide that must be produced by both the council and the Brecon Beacons National Park (BBNP) in their roles as planning authorities.
The assessment has found that here is an identified need for expansion of gypsy and traveller pitches in the county in the coming five years by 15 plots.
Out of the 15 plots needed in the next five years, 13 are in the area that the council is the planning authority and the other two are in the national park area.
In addition, a further nine plots, six in the council area and three in the national park area, will be needed over the period of the LDP, which runs until 2033.
The council has a legal duty to make sure that the identified need for pitches is met, by making provision for sites to be developed within local planning policies. It does not necessarily mean that council-owned and managed sites are required. Some gypsies and travellers may wish to find and buy their own sites to develop and manage.
Cllr Myfanwy Alexander, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Welsh Language, Housing and Climate Change, said: “The result of this work allows the Council to make strategic decisions on the provision we need for the future.”
