Renfrewshire Council

1. Officer and Department responsible for completing the Assessment

Judith Chalmers, Development and Housing Services

2. Name of policy, strategy or project

Gypsy/ Travellers and Travelling Showpeople Planning Advice Note

3. What is the main purpose or aims of the policy, strategy or project

The Planning Advice Note will provide additional guidance in relation to the Renfrewshire Local Development Plan, providing a framework for assessing proposals for Gypsy/Traveller and Travelling Showpeople sites for the transient and permanent community as well as to determine applications for small privately-owned sites for Gypsy/Travellers and Travelling Showpeople.

The policy framework provided by the Renfrewshire Local Development Plan and Renfrewshire Local Development Plan - New Development Supplementary Guidance along with the planning considerations outlined in this Planning Advice Note will help guide developments to the right locations.

4. Who will be the beneficiaries of the policy/ strategy/ project?

The Planning Advice Note will primarily benefit Gypsy/Traveller and Travelling Showpeople recognising that people's needs can be different and need to be met in different ways.
This Planning Advice Note aims to meet these needs of a particular group, ensuring that any proposals are guided to the most suitable locations and meet the needs of the groups.

Gypsy/ Travellers and Travelling Showpeople are defined as:

Gypsy/Travellers

For the purposes of the Planning Advice Note the term Gypsy/Travellers includes Romany Gypsies, European Roma, Scottish, Irish, English and Welsh Travellers as well as New Age/New Travellers.

Travelling Showpeople

The term Travelling Showpeople include members of a group organised for the purposes of holding fairs, circuses or shows (whether or not travelling together as such). This includes such persons who on the grounds of their own or their family's or dependants' more localised pattern of trading, educational or health needs or old age have ceased to travel temporarily, but excludes Gypsy/ Travellers as defined above.

The Planning Advice Note will also benefit local residents and stakeholders as it will ensure that proposals are located within the most suitable locations within Renfrewshire.

5. Has the policy/ strategy/ project been explained to those it might affect directly or indirectly?

Due the transient nature of these groups there can be difficulties contacting them directly. However contact was made directly with a Gypsy Traveller group and the Planning Advice Note was discussed.

The Planning Advice note will be available on the Council's website and hard copies will be available in all local libraries and by post if requested.

6. Have you consulted on the policy?

The Planning Advice note was sent to Building Bridges for comment. Building Bridges is a charity founded by Scottish Gypsy/Travellers, created to bridge the gap and increase communication between the Travelling community and non-Travellers.

7. Impact on Equality Target Group

The policy/strategy/project could have a positive impact on any of the equality target groups or contributes to promoting equality, equal opportunities and improving relations with equality target groups.

The policy/strategy/project could have a negative impact on any equality target groups. If the impact is high a full EIA should be completed.

Race - high positive impact

Gypsy/ Travellers and Travelling Showpeople are included within the race equality target group. Each year the Council monitors the movement of Gypsy/Travellers and Travelling Show People through the area and officers have held a number of discussions with the local gypsy/ traveller community to help identify their needs.

Producing the Planning Advice Note is enabling the Council to take a pro-active approach ensuring that any potential developments are located in the most suitable locations and that these developments meet the specific needs of the Gypsy/ Traveller and Travelling Showpeople equality target group and will have a positive impact.

Sex - no impact

Disability - low positive impact

The Planning Advice Note seeks to ensure that any development site is well connected and/or is within a reasonable walking distance from services, education, community uses, health services, public transport and other facilities which would benefit all groups including those who are physically or visually impaired.

Religion - no impact

Sexual orientation - no impact

Age - low positive impact

The Planning Advice Note seeks to ensure that any development site is well connected and/or is within a reasonable walking distance from services, education, community uses, health services, public transport and other facilities which would benefit all groups including the elderly, young people and those with disabilities.

Ensuring that development sites are appropriately serviced with good residential environment, amenity and setting will provide a good physical environment that will also benefit people pushing wheeled equipment such as prams and wheel chair users.

Gender reassignment - no impact

Marriage and civil partnership - no impact

Pregnancy and maternity - no impact

8. How this policy benefits the equality target groups identified in Section 7

The Planning Advice Note has been produced to have a direct positive impact on the race target equality group.

9. If there is a negative impact on any of the equality target groups, is the impact intended or legal?

No negative impacts identified

10. What actions could be taken to amend the policy/strategy/project to minimise any impact identified?

Building Bridges - a group that represents Gypsy/Travellers has been consulted to see if they have any comments on the Planning Advice Note.

11. If there is no evidence that the policy/strategy/project promotes equality, equal opportunities or improves relations within equality target groups, what amendments could be made to achieve this?

Not Applicable

12. How will the policy/strategy/project be implemented including any necessary training?

The Planning Advice Note was approved by the Planning & Property Policy Board on the 8 November 2016.

All Development Management officers have been made aware of the Planning Advice Note through providing an information session to officers.

Policy Officers will continue to monitor the issues in relation to Gypsy/Traveller and Travelling Showpeople trying to find suitable sites and will meet with Gypsy/Traveller and Travelling Showpeople where required.

It will be available on the Council's website and hard copies will be available in all libraries throughout Renfrewshire, along with copies being available at the Council's Headquarters.

13. Full assessment necessary?

No

14. Date completed 

19/10/16