Memorandum by The Royal Town Planning
Institute (TF 56)
INTRODUCTION
1. The Environment Sub-Committee of the Environment,
Transport and Regional Affairs Committee has resolved to conduct
a brief inquiry into Travelling Fairs. Examining:
the continued value of historic travelling
fairs;
the provision of sites for travelling
fairs;
the particular needs of travelling
showpeople in carrying out their trade;
the effectiveness of existing planning
guidance on the provision of quarters for travelling showpeople;
whether any action is necessary to
ensure that appropriate regard is had to the needs of travelling
showpeople within the planning system; and
any other matters which may arise
in the course of questioning.
2. The Institute considers that there is a problem
in only a limited number of places with travelling fairs. However,
it well appreciates that this is a major problem for the operators
of and those who earn their living through travelling fairs. The
Institute places a high premium on the equal opportunities dimension
of the operation of the planning system and wishes to offer the
following brief observations on the planning aspects of the inquiry
based on experience reported by its membership.
COMMENTS
The continued value of historic travelling fairs
3. The Institute assumes that historic travelling
fairs continue to have some value to those who operate them. Otherwise,
as commercial activities, they would have ceased to exist. It
seems probable, however, that their popularity is declining in
the face of competition from other recreational activities.
The provision of sites for travelling fairs
4. The sites for genuine historic travelling
fairs, and the fairs' visiting dates to them, have been established
since time immemorial. The provision of sites for fairs, as distinct
from the accommodation of the showpeople themselves, is traditional,
and the usual duration of their use is short term. This is not
seen as a problem area.
The particular needs of travelling showpeople
in carrying out their trade
5. The Institute has no observations to offer
on this matter, apart from the obvious need for an operational
base (particularly in winter) and satisfactory sites for the fairs
themselves.
The effectiveness of existing planning guidance
on the provision of quarters for travelling showpeople
6. The current advice is contained in Department
of the Environment Circular 22/91. While the national planning
guidance might be improved (see paragraph 9, below), the Institute
considers the main problem to be a limited knowledge of the lifestyle
and site needs of travelling showpeople on the part of local authority
councillors and their staff, the Department in framing and applying
the guidance, and, undoubtedly, this is a reflection of much of
the public at large. Planning applications and/or appeals relating
to such uses are only very occasionally made to individual authorities,
unless they happen to be areas with historic links with travelling
showpeople. The resulting lack of experience and understanding
mean that prejudice can very easily seep into the decision-making
process.
7. It also often appears to the case that travelling
showpeople do not take independent professional planning advice
until after they have encountered difficulties with the local
planning authority. This seems to reinforce the following consequences:
that most of the sites occupied by
showpeople are located in areas where there is a tradition of
understanding and acceptance of their lifestyle by both the local
planning authority and the local community: and
in areas without such a tradition,
a likelihood of moving into a confrontational situation, before
the planning issues have been fully and properly explored.
8. The Circular refers to:
showpeople requiring "winter
quarters". It now seems to be more common for them to require
year-round accommodation. This arises because of the needs of
the showpeople themselves, including uninterrupted schooling for
their children;
further information provided by the
Showmen's Guild of Great Britain. The Guild produces a brochure
giving useful and detailed advice and guidance on site layout
requirements; and
the need for all development plans
to include policies relating to travelling showpeople. This advice
appears seldom to be followed, but is something of a double-edged
weapon.
All-embracing requirements such as
this, irrespective of local application, tend to devalue the coinage.
It is important to distinguish between areas of needwhere
appropriate policies should be included in development plansand
areas where showmen are rarely, if ever, present, and where such
policies are, therefore, inappropriate.
Awareness would be increased if such
advice were to be included in PPG 1 "General Policy and Principals"
and PPG 12 "Development Plans", along with the other
guidance on the content of development plans, so that the guidance
was integrated rather than left only in a freestanding Circular.
Whether any action is necessary to ensure that
appropriate regard is had to the needs of travelling showpeople
within the planning system
9. There are a number of ways in which the
national planning guidance might be improved. It is important,
however, not to lose a sense of proportion about the extent to
which the particular requirements of travelling showpeople need
to have specific recognition within the planning system:
the distinction between showpeople
and gypsies/travellers might be more clearly recognised;
there is a need for more detailed
information on site requirements and layout, such as that provided
by the Showmen's Guild (see paragraph 8, above);
current lifestyles point to the need
to recognise year-round, rather than only seasonal requirements,
and
there is a need for better advice
to local planning authorities on the appropriate use of planning
conditions and section 106 obligations to control the occupancy
of sites.
CONCLUSIONS
10. The Institute would draw three conclusions
from their brief evidence:
(a) there is probably a lack of knowledge
of the lifestyle and needs of travelling showpeople within central
and local government generally, including the planning profession;
(b) although the incidence of travelling
showpeople is limited, geographically, this lack of knowledge
should be addressed;
(c) there is room for improvement in the
scope and content of planning guidance on the subject. This would
include both in reviewing Circular 22/91 but also in cross-referencing
and integrating particular planning guidance on travelling showpeople
with that on wider policy considerations in development plans
and applications.
11. The Institute would be happy to amplify
in oral evidence any of the points made in this submission, if
this would be helpful to the Sub-Committee.
March 2000
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