The policies have been developed to achieve a balance between a wider distribution of pitch provision to meet the levels of need for more accommodation; to avoid over-concentration in a few locations; and to provide greater choice for the Gypsy and Traveller community.
By providing the right amount of authorised pitches in appropriate locations the policy will reduce the number of unauthorised sites without proper planning permission. This will also help to reduce enforcement costs to the taxpayer - estimated at around £18 million a year - and improve community relations between the settled and non-settled communities across the region.
Policies published as part of the Regional Spatial Strategy set out how many pitches and plots are needed in each district in the East of England to provide enough authorised pitches until 2021.
Today's announcement builds on the draft policy submitted by the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in February 2008. The draft policy was then consulted on and tested at an Examination in Public in October 2008. Proposed changes to the policy were published for public consultation in March 2009. The consultation responses were considered carefully before the policies were finalised.
Details of the breakdown of provision by district and county is available in the policy documentation, available to download below.
