DCLG to revoke traveller planning laws, strengthen enforcement powers

The government has announced plans to revoke Whitehall planning circulars that it blames for creating the perception that there are different rules for the travelling community and the settled community.

The Department for Communities and Local Government also revealed that:

• Powers for councils to tackle unauthorised developments and encampments, and breaches of planning rules would be strengthened in the Localism Bill this autumn. “This will include action against speculative, unscrupulous private developers”
• Authorised traveller sites will be covered by the government’s New Homes Bonus scheme, which is designed to incentivise councils and communities to deliver new housing
• Legislation would be changed to ensure that travellers on official local authority sites have the same rights and responsibilities as residents on other mobile home sites. “Travellers who abide by the terms of their pitch agreement will have greater protection against eviction.” Section 318 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 will be commenced.

The DCLG said abolition of central government guidance – by revoking Planning Circular 01/06 and Circular 04/07, subject to impact assessments – would allow councils to decide for themselves how many traveller pitches are necessary in their area.

It said some councils had complained that the guidance had compelled them to build on the countryside and compulsorily purchase land.

The guidance will be replaced by light touch guidance outlining councils’ statutory obligations will be announced shortly.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said: “Unauthorised developments have created tensions between travellers and the settled population. We want to redress the balance and put fairness back into communities.

"Like the rest of the population, the majority of travellers are law-abiding citizens and they should have the same chance of having a safe place to live and bring up their children. These changes will put travellers who play by the rules on an equal footing. But at the same time, we will not sit back and allow people to bypass the planning rules that everyone else has to abide by."