A total of 130 new Gypsy and Traveller plots will need to be created across Derbyshire by 2040

These new plots would be added to the more than 140 plots which already exist across the city and county.

An assessment carried out by RRR Consultancy on behalf of all Derbyshire councils, along with the Peak District Nation Park Authority and East Staffordshire, outlines the future needs of Travellers and Gypsies in the area up to 2040.

It details that there are currently 141 plots in the combined Derbyshire area (excluding the 22 in East Staffordshire) and that there is a need for 130 new plots (excluding the 18 in East Staffordshire).

South Derbyshire has the largest current provision and largest future need by far, with 86 current pitches and 59 more needed, followed by North East Derbyshire with 22 pitches and 22 more needed, and Derby with 16 pitches and 14 more needed.

The report details that there are currently no Traveller and Gypsy plots in the High Peak or in the Peak District National Park area (with the two having overlapping boundaries) and that there will be no requirement to allocate a single plot in the Peak District and just one in the High Peak over the next 16 years.

With half of the Derbyshire Dales lying in the Peak District, the report says the Dales should work with the Peak Park on how the needs of two specific families, who are registered as homeless, can be met going forward, with both sharing the obligation – instead of the Dales solely shouldering the burden requirement.

It says there were 18 temporary unauthorised encampments, largely in relation to these two families, within both the Peak Park and Dales shared area, between January 2016 and December 2019.

Last week the Dales district council earmarked a temporary Traveller site for the two specific families in Old Station Close, Rowsley, in the Peak District.

No assessment was made of Erewash’s current capacity or need with that inspection forming part of a report from Nottinghamshire councils.

The proposed current provision and future need for Gypsy and Traveller plots by 2040, for each of the assessed areas, is as follows:

• Amber Valley: Zero pitches, four more needed
• Bolsover: 10 pitches, 14 more needed
• Chesterfield: Three pitches, five more needed
• Derby: 16 pitches, 14 more needed
• Derbyshire Dales: Four pitches, 11 more needed
• High Peak: Zero pitches, one needed
• North East Derbyshire: 22 pitches, 22 more needed
• Peak District: Zero pitches, zero needed
• South Derbyshire: 86 pitches, 59 more needed

The assessment shows that of the total number of pitches across the whole county and city, the area will need 20 further combined pitches every five years up to 2040.

It details that, between January 2016 and June 2020, there were 271 unauthorised encampments in the combined area, with 20 per cent of these taking place in Derby and 15 per cent on Derbyshire County Council-managed land.

The report says no unauthorised encampments were recorded in either the Peak District National Park or High Peak but “it is apparent that they do occur”.

It details: “It was generally acknowledged that there is a lack of accommodation provision throughout the study area. 

“Also, it was noted that whilst provision throughout the study area is uneven there was unmet demand even in those areas where provision was relatively high. 

“It was felt that a lack of transit provision can lead to unauthorised encampments. 

“Some stakeholders suggested that local authorities have a duty of care to support families residing on unauthorised encampments.

“It is important that new provisions are located close to amenities such as shops, schools and health facilities or where there are good transport links or within reasonable distance for households to access the necessary facilities and amenities.

“Guidance suggests that local planning authorities should strictly limit new Gypsy and Traveller site development in the open countryside that is away from existing settlements or outside areas allocated in the development plan. 

“Local planning authorities should ensure that sites in rural areas do not dominate the nearest settled community and avoid placing an undue pressure on the local infrastructure.”

The assessment details that Gypsy and Traveller pitches should be 325 square metres in size, with an overall pitch size of 500 square metres inclusive of associated facilities.

This includes hardstanding for a touring caravan, hardstanding for a status caravan, two car parking spaces, one amenity block, a storage shed and a garden area.

The assessment summarises: “Some of the accommodation need identified within the Derbyshire Dales local authority area arises from households who occupy temporary unauthorised encampments on land that is covered by the Peak District National Park. 

“Given that the accommodation need arises on land covered by both Derbyshire Dales District Council and the Peak District National Park, it is recommended that both organisations liaise regarding how the accommodation needs of the two extended families can best be met.”