NEW gypsy and travellers’ sites may be allocated within the new Somerset Local Plan in a bid to prevent further unauthorised encampments.

Somerset Council and Taunton Town Council have recently had to contend with numerous incidents of travellers setting up on public parks and other public land in Somerset’s county town – the most recent occurring at Stoney Furlong Field near Lyngford Park Primary School.

The town council estimated on June 12 that it had cost “around £20,000” in legal fees to remove the travellers from these sites since the beginning of the year – a figure which may rise when cleaning up costs are added.

Somerset Council has now pledged that its new county-wide Local Plan – which is expected to take effect in early-2029 – will include an assessment of demand for gypsy and traveller pitches across Somerset, and could include new sites being allocated.

The new Local Plan will cover the whole of the Somerset Council area, and is designed to bring together and harmonise the following existing plans:

  • Mendip Local Plan Part I (covering Frome, Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet, Street, Wells and neighbouring villages)
  • Mendip Local Plan Part II (which provides additional sites in these settlements)
  • Sedgemoor Local Plan (covering Bridgwater, Burnham-on-Sea, Cheddar, Highbridge, North Petherton and neighbouring villages)
  • Taunton Deane Core Strategy (covering Taunton, Wellington, Wiveliscombe and neighbouring villages)
  • West Somerset Local Plan (covering Minehead, Watchet, Williton and neighbouring villages)
  • South Somerset Local Plan (covering Chard, Crewkerne, Ilminster, Wincanton, Yeovil and neighbouring villages)
  • Somerset Mineral Plan
  • Somerset Waste Core Strategy

The only part of the Somerset Council area which will not be subject to the new Local Plan is the Exmoor National Park, which has its own Local Plan.

Until the new Somerset Local Plan is approved by the Planning Inspectorate in March 2029, the existing plans remain in force and are legally binding.

However, certain parts of these plans may be accorded less weight if the relevant former district cannot demonstrate a five-year housing land supply – meaning sizeable developments could be approved even if they conflict with other planning policies to meet housing need.

Somerset Council said the new Local Plan may include new policies for how gypsy and traveller sites could be allocated in line with recorded demand.

A spokesperson said: “The council has an allocations policy in relation to the sites we own. The policy sets out how council-owned pitches will be allocated. The policy is not dependent on the new Local Plan being finished.

“The Local Plan, which is a land-use based policy, will identify the accommodation needs of the gypsy and traveller community, and may include policies for allocating sites and assessing planning applications for sites.

“The Local Plan will include pitch/ plot targets to address the likely permanent and transit site accommodation needs of the gypsy, traveller and travelling show-people communities in the Somerset local planning authority area.

The council has yet to respond to a freedom of information request regarding the cost of removing unauthorised traveller encampments over the last five years