Dartford Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling
Showpeople Accommodation Assessment
Philip Brown and Joanna Brown
Salford Housing & Urban Studies Unit
University of Salford
October 2013
About the Authors
Philip Brown is Senior Research Fellow and Joanna Brown is a Research Associate within the
Salford Housing & Urban Studies Unit (SHUSU) at the University of Salford.
The Salford Housing & Urban Studies Unit is a dedicated multi-disciplinary research and
consultancy unit providing a range of services relating to housing and urban management to
public and private sector clients. The Unit brings together researchers drawn from a range
of disciplines including: social policy, housing management, urban geography, environmental
management, psychology, social care and social work.
Study Team
Core team members:
Community Interviewers:
Dr Philip Brown
Joanna Brown
Victoria Morris
Sharon Finney
Tracey Finney
2
Acknowledgements
Without the time, expertise and contributions of a number of individuals and organisations,
this study could not have been completed. Officers from within Dartford Borough Council
provided guidance and assistance throughout the project and thanks must go to all of them
for their support, with special thanks to Tania Smith.
Special thanks are also due to all those who took the time to participate in the study, helped
organise the fieldwork and provided invaluable information and support in the production of
this report.
Particular thanks must, of course, go to the people who found the time to talk to us and
answer our questions in a full, honest and patient manner. It is hoped that this report is able
to accurately reflect their experiences and needs.
This report is based on research undertaken by the study team and the analysis and
comment thereafter do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the research
commissioners, or any participating stakeholders and agencies. The authors take
responsibility for any inaccuracies or omissions in the report.
3
Contents
About the Authors................................................................................................................................ 2
Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................................. 3
Contents ............................................................................................................................................... 4
Glossary ................................................................................................................................................ 6
Executive summary .............................................................................................................................. 8
1.
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 11
Background and scope ................................................................................................................................ 11
Research approach ...................................................................................................................................... 12
Structure of the report ................................................................................................................................ 13
2.
Policy Context ............................................................................................................................. 15
National Planning Policy 2006-2011 ............................................................................................................ 15
Regional Planning Policy 2006 - 2011 .......................................................................................................... 15
Current National Planning Policy ................................................................................................................. 16
Defining Gypsies and Travellers .................................................................................................................. 18
Housing/Accommodation Need .................................................................................................................. 20
Defining a Pitch............................................................................................................................................ 20
3.
Census 2011 data, the bi-annual Caravan Count and the estimated size of the population ..... 22
Census 2011 Data ........................................................................................................................................ 22
Caravan Numbers and Trends from the Caravan Count ............................................................................. 22
The Size of the Local Gypsy and Traveller community ................................................................................ 24
4.
Authorised Social and Private Sites ............................................................................................ 26
Socially Rented Sites .................................................................................................................................... 26
Socially Rented Sites: Survey Findings ......................................................................................................... 28
Authorised Private Sites .............................................................................................................................. 30
Private Site Residents: Findings from those with Permanent Planning Permission ................................... 30
5.
Unauthorised Sites and Planning Issues ..................................................................................... 34
Unauthorised Development of Gypsy and Traveller Sites........................................................................... 34
Unauthorised Development Residents: Survey findings ............................................................................. 35
Unauthorised Encampments ....................................................................................................................... 35
Unauthorised Encampments: Survey Findings ............................................................................................ 36
4
6.
Gypsies and Travellers in Social and Private Bricks and Mortar Accommodation ..................... 37
Estimating the Size of Gypsy and Traveller Population in Bricks and Mortar Housing ............................... 37
Living in Bricks and Mortar Accommodation: Survey Findings ................................................................... 38
7. Travelling, Experiences of Housing, Access to Health Facilities, and Previous Accommodation
History ................................................................................................................................................ 42
Travelling Experiences ................................................................................................................................. 42
Experiences of Living in Bricks and Mortar Accommodation ...................................................................... 44
Access to Health Services ............................................................................................................................ 45
Previous Accommodation Experiences ....................................................................................................... 46
8.
Future Accommodation, Household Formation and Accommodation Affordability ................. 47
Future Accommodation Intentions ............................................................................................................. 47
Household Concealment ............................................................................................................................. 48
Household Formation .................................................................................................................................. 49
Accommodation Affordability ..................................................................................................................... 49
Travelling Showpeople ............................................................................................................... 52
9.
10.
An Assessment of Accommodation Need ............................................................................... 54
A Note on the Assessment of Accommodation Need ................................................................................. 54
Explanation of the Need Requirement Elements ........................................................................................ 56
In Summary.................................................................................................................................................. 61
11.
An Assessment of Need for Transit Accommodation ............................................................. 65
Need for Transit Sites and Stopping Places ................................................................................................. 65
Appendix 1:
Appendix 2:
Appendix 3:
Appendix 4:
The Assessment Methodology ................................................................................. 67
Private Sites and Unauthorised Developments in Dartford..................................... 71
Demographics of the Local Gypsy and Traveller Population ................................... 72
Questionnaire……………………………………………………………………………………………………..74
5
Glossary
The following terms are used in this report and are used in conjunction with planning for
Gypsy, Traveller and Showpeople accommodation. As such, these terms may need some
clarification. In the case of terms which are related to Gypsy and Traveller accommodation
and culture, it is noted that a number of them are often contested and debated. It is not the
intention of the authors to present these terms as absolute definitions; rather, the
explanations provided are those the authors used in this assessment as their frames of
reference.
Term
Explanation
Amenity block/shed
Authorised social site
Authorised Private site
Bricks and mortar
Caravan
Caravan Count
Chalet
Core Strategy
Department for Communities and
Local Government (CLG)
Development Plan Documents (DPDs)
Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation
Assessment (GTAA)
Doubling-up
Gaujo/Gorger
Green Belt
Gypsy
Gypsies and Travellers (as used in this
report)
Homes and Communities Agency
(HCA)
On most residential Gypsy/Travellers sites these are buildings
where basic plumbing amenities (bath/shower, WC and sink) are
provided at the rate of one building per pitch.
An authorised site owned by either the local authority or a
Registered Housing Provider.
An authorised site owned by a private individual (who may or may
not be a Gypsy or a Traveller). These sites can be owner-occupied,
rented or a mixture of owner-occupied and rented pitches. They
may also have either permanent or temporary planning permission.
Permanent mainstream housing.
Mobile living vehicle used by Gypsies and Travellers. Also referred
to as trailers.
Bi-annual count of Gypsy and Traveller caravans conducted every
January and July by local authorities published by the CLG.
In the absence of a specific definition, the term ‘chalet’ is used here
to refer to single storey residential units which resemble mobile
homes but can be dismantled.
Key compulsory Development Plan Document in the Council’s Local
Plan, which sets out the development strategy and strategic polices
on which other Development Plan Documents are built.
The main government department responsible for Gypsy and
Traveller accommodation issues.
Documents which set out the development aims of the Council’s
Local Plan.
Type of study used to identify and quantify the accommodation
needs of Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople.
To share a pitch on an authorised site.
Literal translation indicates someone who is not of Romany Gypsy
ethnicity. Romany word used mainly, but not exclusively, by
Romany Gypsies to refer to members of the settled
community/non-Gypsy/Travellers.
A policy or land use designation used to retain areas of largely
undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or
neighbouring urban areas.
Members of Gypsy or Traveller communities. Usually used to
describe Romany (English) Gypsies originating from India. This
term is not acceptable to all Travellers.
Consistent with the Housing Act 2004, inclusive of: all Gypsies, Irish
Travellers, New Travellers, Show People, Circus People and Gypsies
and Travellers in bricks and mortar accommodation.
National housing and regeneration agency. Has been responsible
for administering the Gypsy and Traveller Site Grant since 2009/10.
6
Local Plan
Mobile home/Mobiles
National Planning Policy Framework
(NPPF)
Pitch/plot
Planning Policy for Traveller Sites
(PPTS)
Pulling-up
Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS)
Settled community/people
Site
Static caravan
Stopping place
Suppressed/concealed household
Trailer
Transit site
Travelling Showpeople
Unauthorised Development
Unauthorised Encampment
Yard
A set of documents which sets out the development strategy for
the Borough.
Legally classified as a caravan but not usually moveable without
dismantling or using a lorry.
A document containing the Government’s planning policies for
England and how they are expected to be applied. It sets out
requirements of the planning system and provides a framework
within which local people and local councils can produce their own
distinctive plans which reflect their needs and priorities.
Area of land on a site/development generally home to one licensee
household. Can be varying sizes and have varying caravan
occupancy levels. Often also referred to as a plot, particularly in
relation to Travelling Showpeople. There is no agreed definition as
to the size of a pitch.
A document containing the Governments planning policies for
Traveller sites. This document should be read in conjunction with
the National Planning Policy Framework.
To park a trailer/caravan.
Part of the previous planning system across England. In July 2010
the government announced its decision to revoke RSSs. In March
2013 the government partially revoked the South East Plan.
Reference to non-Travellers (those who live in houses).
An authorised area of land on which Gypsies and Travellers are
accommodated in trailers/chalets/
vehicles. Can contain one or multiple pitches.
Larger caravan than the ‘tourer’ type. Can be moved but only with
the use of a large vehicle. Often referred to simply as a trailer.
Locations frequented by Gypsies and Travellers, usually for short
periods of time.
Independent households, living within other households.
Term commonly used by Gypsies and Travellers to refer to a
moveable caravan.
Site intended for short stays. Such sites are usually permanent, but
there is a limit on the length of time residents can stay.
Commonly referred to as Showmen, these are a group of
occupational Travellers who work on travelling shows and fairs
across the UK and abroad.
This refers to a caravan/trailer or group of caravans/trailers on land
owned (possibly developed) by Gypsies and Travellers without
planning permission.
Residing in caravans/trailers on private/public land without the
landowner’s permission (for example, at the side of the road, on a
car park or on a piece of undeveloped land).
Term used by Travelling Showpeople to refer to a site.
7
Executive Summary
The Study
1.
The Housing Act 2004 placed a duty upon local authorities to produce assessments of
accommodation need for Gypsies and Travellers. In 2006, DCA Research completed
and the Council published the North Kent Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation
Assessment (GTAA). This was a joint assessment carried out with Dartford, Medway
and Swale Councils. This assessment provided an overview of the accommodation
and related needs and experiences of the Gypsies and Travellers across Dartford.
Crucially, the GTAA identified the accommodation need, in the form of residential
pitch shortfall, of the population on an individual district level.
2.
In April 2013 Dartford Borough Council commissioned the Salford Housing & Urban
Studies Unit (SHUSU) at the University of Salford to produce an updated Traveller
Accommodation Assessment (TAA). The primary purpose of this assessment was to
provide up to date information and data regarding the needs and requirements of
the Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople communities. This report presents
the projection of pitch requirements for the period 2013 – 2028.
4.
The assessment was undertaken by conducting a review of the following data
sources:
5.

Previous assessments of need and information submitted through the previous
regional planning process.

The policy and guidance context.

Census 2011 data.

The bi-annual Caravan Count.

Information from the local authority with regards to pitch provision and supply.

Information from key stakeholders.

A survey of 58 Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople households.
From the estimation of a base population of 127 households in Dartford, we
consulted with 58 resident households; 46% of the estimated resident Gypsy and
Traveller community across Dartford. We believe that the sample is as representative
as can be reasonably expected given the relatively hidden nature of the population
and the timescale available for the consultation period. The fieldwork took place
during a two week period in May 2013. The base date used in this assessment is 19th
May 2013.
8
Local Accommodation Provision
6.
There is no one source of information about the size of the Gypsy and Traveller
population across Dartford. Our best estimate in relation to the resident population
is that there are at least 408 individuals or 127 households in Dartford. The
population was found across the following accommodation types:

There is one socially rented site across the study area. This site currently
accommodates 16 households.

There are 14 private sites with permanent planning permission across the study
area. These sites currently accommodate 44 households. A total of 37
households are occupied on authorised pitches, an additional seven pitches
occupied by households are seen as immune from enforcement.

There are two unauthorised developments in the study area (one within the
fabric of an existing authorised site) and a further unauthorised site which is
subject to an injunction. These sites currently accommodate three households.

There is one unauthorised development immune from enforcement. This site
accommodates two households.

It is estimated that there are at least 50 households living in bricks and mortar
accommodation in Dartford.

There is one Travelling Showpeople yard in the study area. This site is currently
estimated to accommodate 12 households.
Characteristics of Local Gypsies and Travellers
7.
The survey of Gypsies and Travellers identified some of the important characteristics
of the local population.

Although the average household size over the whole sample is 3.4, this varied
between different accommodation types; for example, the average household
size for those in bricks and mortar was four, compared to three on unauthorised
development sites, 1.8 on the council run sites and 3.1 on the private
developments.

The majority of Gypsies and Travellers on all site types have strong and
longstanding local connections. The Dartford community generally appears to be
a settled one with little intention to move or to travel.

The local population is largely Romany Gypsies (76%), with a smaller number of
Irish Travellers (12%) and Travelling Showpeople (9%).

The population have little intention to travel. Travelling tends to be for one to
two weeks per year and generally to visit fairs or relatives. Very little travelling is
for economic purposes.

Overall, ability to afford to buy a pitch on a site is low, with only five households
over the whole sample stating that they are able to afford land of some
description.
9

There is some evidence that a small number of those currently living in bricks
and mortar properties have a preference for and may also move to site based
accommodation over the assessment period. There is no evidence of moving
from site based accommodation to bricks and mortar properties.
Accommodation Need and Supply
8.
There are no signs nationally that the growth in the Gypsy and Traveller population
will slow significantly. Research from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission
(EHRC) has indicated that around 6,000 additional pitches for Gypsies and Travellers
are immediately required to meet the current shortage of accommodation within
England.
9.
This study has taken a thorough assessment of the need arising from all
accommodation types present at the time of the survey. As such, this assessment of
need should be regarded as a reasonable and robust assessment of need, upon which
to base planning decisions going forward. Sites developed after 19th May 2013 will
contribute to the needs and requirements detailed in the table below.
Table i: Summary of Net Gypsy and Traveller and Travelling Showpeople accommodation
need (2013 - 2028)
Gypsy and
Traveller Pitches
Travelling
Showpeople plots
Current authorised residential provision
(pitches)
62
12
Residential need 2013 - 2018 (pitches)
13
1
Residential need 2018 –2023 (pitches)
10
1
Residential need 2023 –2028 (pitches)
11
1
Residential need 2013 –2028 (pitches)
34
3
10.
It is recommended that this assessment of accommodation need is repeated in due
course (circa five years) to ensure it remains as accurate as possible.
11.
Numerical transit requirements have not been provided, although an indication of
how provision for short-stay households could be made is detailed in the main
report.
10
1.
Introduction
Background and Scope
1.1
The Housing Act 2004 placed a duty upon local authorities to produce assessments of
accommodation need for Gypsies and Travellers. In 2006, Dartford Borough Council
published the North Kent Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment
(GTAA).1 This was a joint study carried out with Dartford, Medway and Swale
Councils. The GTAA provided an overview of the accommodation and related needs
and experiences of the Gypsy and Traveller population in North Kent. Crucially, the
GTAA identified the accommodation need, in the form of residential pitch shortfall,
of the population on an individual district level. The study identified a need for 33
new permanent pitches in Dartford over the period 2006-2011. A separate
accommodation assessment for Travelling Showpeople was also produced, covering
North and West Kent.2 This assessment identified a need for an additional four plots
for Travelling Showpeople within Dartford over the 2006-2011 period.
1.2
Since April 2006, permission for an additional seven pitches has been granted
together with a further seven pitches confirmed to be lawful following planning
appeals. In addition four additional pitches were provided at the Council's socially
rented site.
1.3
In April 2013 Dartford Borough Council commissioned the Salford Housing & Urban
Studies Unit (SHUSU) at the University of Salford to produce a Traveller
Accommodation Assessment. The aim of the assessment is to provide up to date
information on the accommodation needs of Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling
Showpeople in Dartford to inform the development of policies in the Dartford Local
Plan. This report presents the projection of permanent pitch requirements for the
following periods in line with national guidance:

2013 – 2018 (0-5 years)

2018 – 2023 (6-10 years)

2023 – 2028 (11-15 years)
2
11
Research Approach
1.4
1.5
In order to carry out a full assessment of the accommodation needs of Gypsies,
Travellers and Travelling Showpeople, information from the following sources have
been used as detailed below:

Secondary Data – including analysis of the previous GTAA carried out in Dartford,
analysis of evidence submitted as part of the South East Partial Review, national
policy context, the bi-annual Caravan Count, 2011 census data for Gypsies and
Travellers, information from key stakeholders and the local authority on the
supply of sites and pitches in the Borough.

Stakeholder Interviews – Officers from Dartford Borough Council, Kent Police,
the Showmen’s Guild, and the Gypsy and Travellers Unit at Kent County Council.

A survey of Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople – face to face
structured interviews with 58 households living in trailer-based and bricks and
mortar accommodation across Dartford. See appendix 1 for specific details of
this sample and the research process.
Table 1.1 summarises the response to the survey by known and estimated
households across the borough.
Table 1.1: Sample in relation to estimated local Gypsy and Traveller population in May 2013
No. of sites
Type of accommodation
Total
Sample
%
1
1
100%
14
7
50%
44
18
41%
3
2
100%
3
2
67%
1
0
0%
2
0
0%
0
0
n/a
0
0
n/a
Travelling Showpeople yards
1
1
100%
12
5
42%
TOTAL SITE BASED POPULATION
20
12
60%
77
33
43%
Housed (estimated households)
n/a
n/a
n/a
50
25
50%
Socially rented sites
Residential private authorised
pitches (permanent/immune
from enforcement)3
Unauthorised developments4
Unauthorised development
immune from enforcement
Unauthorised encampments
1.6
No. of known occupied
pitches/households
Interview
Total
%
Sample
16
8
50%
The overall response rate hides a variance of responses, shown in Table 1.2.
3
A number of sites with permanent planning permission also have additional caravans residing on their site
which are considered ‘unauthorised’ as they breach the planning consent of this sites. These have been
accounted for as part of the count for the whole site.
4
Technically one of these sites is not an unauthorised development as there is currently an injunction on the
site. However, for pragmatic reasons this site has been recorded as an unauthorised development. This is
further referenced in Chapter 5. Furthermore, one of these developments is situated on an existing authorised
private site - see Appendix 2. The remaining development is awaiting an appeal determination.
12
Table 1.2: Response rate from individual private sites5
Site
Site 1
Site 2
Site 3
Site 4
Site 5
Site 6
Site 7
Site 8
Site 9
Site 10
Total
1.7
Response rate
33%
0%
44%
0%
86%
Residents declined to take part
100%
Residents declined to take part
Residents not at home during study period
100%
41%
The key points to note from Table 1.1 and 1.2 are that:
 The response rate overall was acceptable.
 Interviews were achieved with households living in most of the different types of
sites in the study area.
 Three of the 14 private sites with permanent planning permission currently have
caravans situated upon varying planning consent. Two private sites accommodate
seven pitches which are considered ‘immune from enforcement’. One site
accommodates an ‘unauthorised’ pitch which at the time of the assessment is
currently under appeal and has been identified as an unauthorised development in
Table 1.1.
 Around seven respondents from private sites refused to take part in the assessment,
reducing the response rate for this site type. A further one household was not at
home on each occasion the interviewers visited the site.
 There is an unauthorised development immune from enforcement in the area which
has two pitches on it. Unfortunately these were not available to be interviewed
during the fieldwork period.
 It is estimated that interviews were achieved with 50% of households living in bricks
and mortar accommodation. Please see Chapter 3 for details of how this estimation
is calculated.
Structure of the Report
1.8
5
This report is intended to assist Dartford Borough Council in its formulation of
planning policies for the provision of accommodation for the Gypsy, Traveller and
Travelling Showpeople communities. It sets out the background and current policy
context, identifies the estimated Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople
population residing in the Borough and presents evidence of accommodation need
arising from that population. Each chapter of the report details:
Sites are anonymised in order to protect the confidentiality of respondents and non-respondents.
13
1.9

Chapter 2 looks at the past, present and emerging policy context in the area of
Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople accommodation.

Chapter 3 looks at the trends in caravan numbers evident from the bi-annual
count of caravans.

Chapter 4 presents the findings from across all authorised social and private
sites, based on information provided by Dartford Borough Council and obtained
through the survey of Gypsy and Traveller households.

Chapter 5 looks at the level of planning applications made in the district, the
presence of unauthorised sites and the views of households on unauthorised
sites obtained through the household survey.

Chapter 6 looks at the numbers of Gypsies and Travellers living in bricks and
mortar accommodation as well as drawing upon the views of people obtained
through the household survey.

Chapter 7 looks at travelling patterns, experiences of bricks and mortar
properties, access to health facilities and accommodation history.

Chapter 8 looks at a range of issues including the movement intentions of the
sample, the formation of new households and concealment of existing ones and
the accommodation preferences of the Gypsy and Traveller population.

Chapter 9 considers the provision of accommodation and needs relating to
Travelling Showpeople.

Chapter 10 provides the numerical assessment of accommodation needs for the
District.

Chapter 11 provides an analysis of the need for transit provision for the District.
The base date for this assessment is 19th May 2013. The analysis presented in this
study is based on the position at the time of the survey and represents the current
level of need for permanent accommodation in Dartford. Sites permitted after 19th
May 2013 will contribute to the residential pitch needs identified in this study.
14
2.
Policy Context
2.1
This chapter looks at the past and current policy context in relation to the assessment
of need for Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople.
National Planning Policy 2006-2011
2.2
The main document for detailing planning policy for Gypsy and Traveller Sites in
England over the 2006-2011 period was ODPM Circular 01/2006 Planning for Gypsy
and Traveller Caravan Sites. This specified that the aims of legislation and policy were
to:

Ensure that Gypsies and Travellers have fair access to suitable accommodation,
education, health and welfare provision.

Reduce the number of unauthorised encampments and developments.

Increase significantly the number of Gypsy and Traveller sites in appropriate
locations and with planning permission, in order to address under-provision by
2011.

Protect the traditional travelling way of life of Gypsies and Travellers.

Underline the importance of assessing accommodation need.

Promote private site provision.

Avoid Gypsies and Travellers becoming homeless, where eviction from
unauthorised sites occurs, and where there is no alternative accommodation.
2.3
The circular directed local authorities to assess needs through Gypsy and Traveller
Accommodation Assessments (GTAA), which should then form part of the evidence
base for subsequent Development Plan documents.
2.4
Travelling Showpeople were the subjects of separate planning guidance, CLG Circular
04/2007, Planning for Travelling Showpeople, which aimed to ensure that the system
for pitch assessment, identification and allocation, as introduced for Gypsies and
Travellers, was also applied to Travelling Showpeople.
Regional Planning Policy 2006 - 2011
2.5
Circular 01/2006 made it clear that district level requirements identified in GTAAs
were to be submitted to the relevant Regional Planning Body (RPB). 6 The RPB would
then, in turn, provide pitch requirements on a district by district basis once a strategic
view of needs had been taken through the process of producing the Regional Spatial
Strategy (RSS). The broad purpose of the strategic view was to ensure requirements
were identified fairly and did not compound existing inequalities of accommodation
provision.
6
In the case of the South East this was the South East of England Regional Assembly (SEERA) which was then
dissolved with the planning function transferring to the South East England Partnership Board.
15
2.6
During early 2010, a partial review of the South East Plan on Gypsies, Travellers and
Travelling Showpeople was examined in public, including the regional pitch
requirements identified for the Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople
communities. In July 2010, the Secretary of State announced his intention to revoke
all Regional Strategies. As a consequence, the South East Plan Partial Review was not
completed. Local authorities were advised to continue to develop Local Development
Frameworks (LDF) Core Strategies and, where these had already been adopted, use
the adopted Development Plan Documents as the local planning framework. Specific
guidance was provided in July 2010, in the form of a letter from the Chief Planner, in
order to assist in the determination of provision for Gypsy and Traveller sites. 7 With
respect to the needs of Gypsies and Travellers this guidance stated that:
“Local councils are best placed to assess the needs of travellers. The abolition
of Regional Strategies means that local authorities will be responsible for
determining the right level of site provision, reflecting local need and historic
demand, and for bringing forward land in DPDs. They should continue to do
this in line with current policy. Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation
Assessments (GTAAs) have been undertaken by all local authorities and if local
authorities decide to review the levels of provision these assessments will form
a good starting point. However, local authorities are not bound by them. We
will review relevant regulations and guidance on this matter in due course.”
Current National Planning Policy
National Planning Policy Framework8
2.7
In March 2012 the government published the National Planning Policy Framework
(NPPF) for England and Wales. This framework represents a core aspect of the
Government’s reforms to the planning system: to make it less complex and more
accessible, to protect the environment and to promote sustainable growth. Among
the many significant changes to the planning system, the NPPF places greater
emphasis on the role communities can play in the planning process. The NPPF also
contains a presumption in favour of sustainable development and makes provisions
for the protection of the Green Belt. Whilst the NPPF is not an act of law, as a
national policy it has legal weight, taking precedence on issues where local planning
policies remain silent.
Planning Policy for Traveller Sites
2.8
In tandem with the publication of the NPPF, the Government published the Planning
Policy for Traveller Sites (PPTS). This replaces Circulars 01/06 and 04/2007. The
policies in the PPTS must be taken into account in preparing development plans and
are material in decision making. The PPTS should be read in conjunction with the
NPPF policies. 9
7
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/7995/100706Letter_to_Chief_Planning_Officers-_Revocation_of_Regional_Strategies.pdf
8
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/6077/2116950.pdf
9
(CLG, 2012) Planning for Traveller Sites
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/2113371.pdf
16
2.9
The PPTS states that the Government’s overarching aim is:
To ensure fair and equal treatment for travellers, in a way that facilitates the
traditional and nomadic way of life of travellers while respecting the interests
of the settled community.
2.10
2.11
The Government’s aims in respect of Traveller sites are:

That local planning authorities should make their own assessment of need for
the purposes of planning.

To ensure that local planning authorities, working collaboratively, develop fair
and effective strategies to meet need through the identification of land for sites.

To encourage local planning authorities to plan for sites over a reasonable
timescale.

That plan-making and decision-taking should protect Green Belt from
inappropriate development.

To promote more private Traveller site provision, whilst recognising that there
will always be those Travellers who cannot provide their own sites.

That plan-making and decision-taking should aim to reduce the number of
unauthorised developments and encampments and make enforcement more
effective.

For local planning authorities to ensure that their Local Plan includes fair,
realistic and inclusive policies.

To increase the number of traveller sites in appropriate locations with planning
permission, to address under provision and maintain an appropriate level of
supply.

To reduce tensions between settled and traveller communities in plan-making
and planning decisions.

To enable provision of suitable accommodation from which travellers can access
education, health, welfare and employment infrastructure.

For local planning authorities to have due regard to the protection of local
amenity and local environment.
Policy A of the PPTS states that in assembling the evidence base necessary to support
their planning approach, Local Planning Authorities should:
a) Pay particular attention to early and effective community engagement with
both settled and traveller communities (including discussing Travellers’
accommodation needs with Travellers themselves, their representative bodies
and local support groups)
17
b) Co-operate with Travellers, their representative bodies and local support
groups, other Local Authorities and relevant interest groups to prepare and
maintain an up-to-date understanding of the likely permanent and transit
accommodation needs of their areas over the lifespan of their development
plan, working collaboratively with neighbouring Local Planning Authorities,
and
c) Use a robust evidence base to establish accommodation needs to inform the
preparation of local plans and make planning decisions.
2.12
National policy is clear that there is a need for Local Planning Authorities to
understand and plan for the accommodation needs of Gypsies, Travellers and
Travelling Showpeople in their Local Plans. This accommodation assessment will form
one of the main components in the evidence base underpinning the preparation of
the planning approach for Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople in Dartford.
It has been developed through engagement with Gypsies, Traveller and Travelling
Showpeople in the Borough and through discussion with key stakeholders, in
accordance with national policy.
Local Planning Policy
2.13
Dartford’s Core Strategy sets the criteria that will be taken into account in identifying
new traveller sites and provides initial advice about how the sites may be provided.
The policy seeks to protect the Green Belt, encourage provision in sustainable
locations and consider planning constraints and impacts on adjacent communities.
The Council is to work with Kent authorities to agree a sub-regional approach to pitch
provision.
2.14
Dartford council are in the process of developing their Development Management
Development Plan Document, which will be consistent with the site identification
criteria set in the Core Strategy. All supply options will be considered when
identifying a future accommodation provision.
Defining Gypsies and Travellers
2.15
Defining Gypsies and Travellers is not straightforward. Different definitions are used
for a variety of purposes. At a very broad level the term ‘Gypsies and Travellers’ is
used by non-Gypsies and Travellers to encompass a variety of groups and individuals
who have in common a tradition or practice of nomadism. More narrowly both
Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers are recognised minority ethnic groupings.
2.16
At the same time, there are separate definitions of Gypsies and Travellers for housing
and planning purposes. The statutory definition of Gypsies and Travellers for the
purposes of assessing the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers is set out
in the Housing Act 2004 as follows:
(a) persons with a cultural tradition of nomadism or of living in a caravan
and
18
(b) all other persons of a nomadic habit of life, whatever their race or origin,
including:
(i) such persons who, on grounds only of their own or their family’s or
dependants’ educational or health needs or old age, have ceased to travel
temporarily or permanently and
(ii) members of an organised group of Travelling Showpeople or Circus People
(whether or not travelling together as such).
2.17
For planning purposes, the ‘Planning Policy for Traveller Sites’(PPTS) contains two
definitions, one for Gypsies and Travellers and a separate one for Travelling
Showpeople, reflecting the definitions contained in the revoked Circulars 1/2006 and
4/2007. Gypsies and Travellers are defined as:
Persons of nomadic habit of life, whatever their race or origin, including such
persons who on grounds only of their own or their family’s or dependants’
educational or health needs or old age have ceased to travel temporarily or
permanently, but excluding members of an organised group of Travelling
Showpeople or Circus People travelling together as such.
2.18
This definition focuses more narrowly upon people who either still travel or have
ceased to do so as a result of specific issues and can, as a consequence, demonstrate
specific land use requirements.
2.19
Travelling Showpeople are defined as:
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, health needs or old age, have ceased
to travel temporarily or permanently, but excludes Gypsies and Travellers as
defined above.
2.20
The PPTS uses the term ‘Traveller’ to refer to both Gypsy and Traveller communities
and populations of Travelling Showpeople. This has been used as it is recognised that
this definition is ‘…more pragmatic and wider and enables Local Planning Authorities
to understand the possible future accommodation needs of this group, and plan
strategically to meet those needs’.10
2.21
For the purposes of this assessment, the accommodation needs of all sections of the
Travelling community that meet the definition set out in the Housing Act 2004, have
been assessed to give an overall strategic level of accommodation need.
2.22
It should be noted that the focus of this report is UK Gypsies and Travellers and their
need for pitch based accommodation on sites. This report does not cover the needs
of Roma who have recently arrived from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). There is
no evidence that (CEE) Roma either need or demand accommodation in the form of
10
CLG (2011) Planning for Traveller sites. Consultation Paper, April, London: HMSO
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/1886164.pdf
19
caravan sites. Roma who live in the UK tend to be accommodated with bricks and
mortar housing and therefore the needs relating to these populations should be
addressed by their incorporation into an overall housing need study within the
borough or by the commissioning of a separate study.
Housing/Accommodation Need
2.23
2.24
The traditional definitions of housing need and demand are generally considered
inappropriate for Gypsies and Travellers. For the purposes of this study, we refer to
the definitions set out in the Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment
Guidance. For caravan dwelling households, need may take the form of those:11

Who have no authorised site on which to reside.

Whose existing site accommodation is overcrowded or unsuitable, but who are
unable to obtain larger or more suitable accommodation.

Who contain suppressed households who are unable to set up separate family
units and are unable to access a place on an authorised site, or obtain or afford
land to develop one.
In the context of bricks and mortar dwelling households, need may take the form of:

2.25
Those whose existing accommodation is overcrowded or unsuitable (including
unsuitability by virtue of psychological aversion to bricks and mortar
accommodation).
Housing need is assessed at the level of a single family unit or household (broadly a
group of people who regularly live and eat together). On Gypsy and Traveller sites,
this is assumed to equate to a ‘pitch’; in housing, to a separate dwelling.
Defining a Pitch
2.26
There is no set definition for what constitutes a Gypsy and Traveller residential pitch.
In the same way as in the settled community, Gypsies and Travellers require various
accommodation sizes, depending on the number of family members.
2.27
The convention used in this report is that a pitch is the place on a Gypsy and Traveller
site accommodating a single family/household. In some cases, a single pitch may
account for the entire site. The number of caravans that a household uses can be a
single unit (trailer, touring caravan, static, chalet etc.) or more. In order to ensure
comparability across accommodation types, it is important to determine a
convention when translating caravan numbers into pitches/households.
2.28
The convention in the last round of GTAAs, and an approach advocated by CLG
guidance on Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessments, was the use of a 1.7
caravan to pitch ratio. Taking a more locally informed approach this assessment has
indicated that from a base of 23 trailer based interviewees, a total of 33 caravans are
11
CLG (2007) Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessments – Guidance. London: HMSO.
20
owned/used. This provides a 1.4 caravan to pitch ratio across the sample. 12 In the
last round of GTAAs, it was found that Dartford generally had a lower pitch ratio than
its neighbouring Kent councils, and therefore, in order to ensure reporting is based
on locally informed approach, throughout this assessment a 1.4 caravan to pitch ratio
is used to determine need.
2.29
In addition, the following conventions are adopted in this report:

Percentages in text and tables are rounded to the nearest whole number; this
means that they do not always sum to exactly 100.

Where sample numbers are too low to present the findings as percentages, the
actual numbers of respondents are reported on. Typically, this is where there is
a sample of less than ten.

Numbers ten and below are displayed in text form while numbers 11 and above
are displayed in numerical form.

Quotes included from Gypsies and Travellers are sometimes in first and
sometimes in third person form because interviews were not audio recorded but
noted in written form. They are distinguished by being in italic type and usually
inset.
12
Although we attempted to distinguish between caravans used for living, sleeping and storage, the survey
findings indicate trailers have multiple uses serving all these uses for the vast majority of the time.
21
3.
Census 2011 data, the bi-annual Caravan Count and the estimated size
of the population
3.1
This chapter looks at Census 2011 data and the bi-annual count of Gypsy and
Traveller Caravans, in order to present what is known about Gypsies and Travellers
within the study area. This chapter presents information on the estimated size of the
Gypsy and Traveller population.
Census 2011 Data
3.2
Census 2011 data reports there to be 244 Dartford individual residents who have
self-reported as being White Gypsy or Traveller. At present, it is not possible to
analyse Census data by any other variables such as accommodation type or tenure
and as such, its use is limited. Based on the data supplied by Dartford Council on the
numbers of individuals living on site based accommodation, and considering that we
estimate that we have interviewed just 50% of households living in bricks and mortar
accommodation, we consider 244 to be a significant underestimation of the total
number of Gypsies and Travellers living in Dartford. Therefore, we have not used
Census 2011 data to calculate the population, and instead have used a number of
other sources including data supplied by Dartford council along with survey data and
estimated saturation levels of interviews carried out with those living in bricks and
mortar accommodation. This calculation has been applied in table 3.2 below. It
should be noted that the Census cannot be used to provide an accurate estimation of
the population of Gypsies and Travellers. However, we believe the data provides a
useful guide as to the size of the population in the area.
Caravan Numbers and Trends from the Caravan Count
3.3
The bi-annual Caravan Count provides a snapshot of the local context in terms of the
scale and distribution of caravan numbers across the Borough. Considered together
with Census 2011 data, the Count provides a useful starting point in assessing the
current picture and recent trends. However, there are well documented issues with
the robustness of the count.13 Such issues include: the ‘snapshot’ nature of the data,
the inclusion of caravans and not households, the exclusion of Travelling
Showpeople,14 and the exclusion of Gypsies and Travellers in housing. It should be
noted that the analysis contained in this report should be considered a more robust
assessment of the current situation with regards to the local population than the
Caravan Count.
3.4
Table 3.1 provides the distribution of caravan numbers for Dartford since July 2006,
with this illustrated in Figure 3.1.
13
Niner, P. (2002) Review of the ODPM Caravan Count. London: ODPM.
The January 2011 count included a count of Travelling Showpeople caravans for the first time. However, as
this is not comparable with previous years and as 0 caravans have been identified this is excluded from the
tables in this report.
14
22
Table 3.1: Caravan numbers across accommodation types within Dartford
Jan-13
July-12
Jan-12
Jul-11
Jan-11
Jul-10
Jan-10
Jul-09
Jan-09
Jul-08
Jan-08
Jul-07
Jan-07
Jul-06
3.5
3.6
Authorised sites with planning
permission
Caravans on
Caravans on
authorised private
socially
sites with planning
rented sites
permission
16
27
16
24
12
41
12
31
12
28
12
24
12
44
12
46
12
26
12
52
15
34
15
29
15
33
15
50
Unauthorised sites
Caravans on
unauthorised
developments
Caravans on
unauthorised
encampments
21
23
17
16
17
16
19
13
16
14
15
15
23
14
1
1
2
3
3
54
53
8
8
-
Total No.
caravans
65
64
72
62
60
106
128
79
62
78
64
59
71
79
Table 3.1 shows the following:

Caravan numbers on socially rented sites have remained broadly consistent over
the years, with a slight increase from 12 caravans to 16 caravans in July 2012 this
is as a consequence of provision of four new additional pitches at the site to
accommodate family expansion.

Caravan numbers on private sites have fluctuated between 24 caravans and 52
caravans at different times over the years.

Caravan numbers on unauthorised development have also fluctuated between
2006 and 2013, slightly increasing in the last two years.

Dartford Council provided numbers of caravans on unauthorised encampments
over the period of 2009 to 2012. These numbers have been split across the years
and recorded in table 3.1. Unauthorised encampments in the area are thought
to be families passing through Dartford to other parts of the country.

Overall caravan numbers have remained broadly the same over the years with
just a small decrease of 8% between January 2007 – January 2013 (January is
taken as it is generally considered to represent ‘resident’ households, as opposed
to July, which tends to include a degree of seasonality).
The following chart illustrates the trends in caravan numbers recorded in the Count
and described above. The caravan count demonstrates a fairly stable and static
picture for Dartford. However, a significant increase in the number and size of
unauthorised developments in 2010 led to an increase in the total number of
caravans in the study area during this year.
23
Figure 3.1: Caravan Count 2006-2013
The Size of the Local Gypsy and Traveller Community
3.7
For most minority ethnic communities, presenting data about the size of the
community in question is usually relatively straightforward (with the exception of
communities who have large numbers of irregular migrants and migrant workers etc.
amongst them). However, for Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople, one of
the most difficult issues is providing accurate information on the size of the
population, due to their relatively hidden nature and reluctance to detail their
ethnicity in data collection processes. As a result, we have used Census 2011 data
along with information provided by the Local Authorities and key stakeholders,
together with our survey findings, in order to build up a best (minimum) estimate as
to the size of the local Gypsy and Traveller households and population at the time of
the survey.
3.8
Census 2011 data details that there are 244 Dartford residents from a Gypsy or
Traveller background. At this time, we are unable cross tabulate the data further to
establish the accommodation type of those 244 residents. Based on interviews with
Council officers and based on the number of interviews secured with Gypsies and
Travellers, we consider the Census 2011 figures to be an underestimation of the local
Gypsy and Traveller population at the time of the assessment. Therefore we have
used the information we have received from Dartford council and data and
information from this assessment in order to provide a best estimate of the size of
the Gypsy and Traveller population.
3.9
Table 3.2 presents the estimated size of the Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling
Showpeople population. Using the best information available we estimate that there
are at least 127 households in the Study Area.
24
Table 3.2: Gypsy and Traveller population based in the area
Families/Households
(based on occupied 1 Individuals Derivation
pitch = 1 household)
Socially rented
Actual numbers supplied by Dartford
16
29
sites
Council.
Private pitches
Number of known households
(permanent and
multiplied by the average household
44
136
immune from
size of 3.1 as determined from the
15
enforcement)
survey of 18 of these households.
Number of known households
multiplied by the average household
Sites immune from
2
6
size of three as determined from the
enforcement
survey of households on unauthorised
sites.
Number of known households
multiplied by the average household
Unauthorised
3
3
size of three as determined from the
developments/sites
survey of households on the
unauthorised sites.
Estimated number of households
Bricks and Mortar
multiplied by the average household
50
200
Housing
size of four as determined from the
survey of 25 households in housing.
Number of known households
Travelling
multiplied by the average household
12
34
Showpeople
size of 2.8 as determined from data
supplied from Dartford council
Total
127
408
Type of
accommodation
15
These are sites with planning permission for residential status but which, for some, also accommodate
trailers/households which exceed the planning consent.
25
4.
Authorised Social and Private Sites
4.1
A certain degree of caution needs to be taken when extrapolating the characteristics,
trends and needs of the Gypsy and Traveller population from the Caravan Counts and
other such data alone. In order to provide more specific information on the local
Gypsy and Traveller population, this section draws upon the information provided by
Dartford Borough Council on site provision within the Borough as well as information
obtained through a survey of Gypsy and Traveller households.
Socially Rented Sites
4.2
There is one socially rented site in Dartford; Claywood Lane, which provides
residential accommodation on 16 pitches.
Claywood Lane
4.3
This site currently has a total of 16 occupied residential pitches. Residents live in a
mix of static caravans, mobile homes and tourers. Each pitch accommodates an
amenity unit which contains a bath, a WC with direct access from outside, space for
cooking, space for plumbing laundry equipment and heating.
4.4
The site is managed by Dartford Borough Council and usually fully occupied. There
have been no vacancies on this site in the last four years. Most residents have lived
here in excess of five years indicating a static, settled population. With funds from
the Gypsy and Traveller Grant, the site has been subject to major refurbishment since
2008, including updating of all washrooms, provision of mains gas and the
development of an additional four hard-standing pitches, providing family sized units.
Dartford Borough Council has no plans to apply for any further funding to refurbish
the site.
4.5
There are 16 households living at Claywood Lane which includes 18 adults, three
children aged under five, six aged 5-11 years old and two children aged 12-16. All
respondents are thought to be from an English Romany Gypsy background.
4.6
The Council has a formal waiting list, which has remained static over the last twothree years. There is also a formal policy for allocating socially rented pitches. In
terms of criteria for allocation, Dartford Borough Council’s allocation policy states:
Applications for the Claywood Lane Caravan Site will be decided on a case by
case basis, with priority given to those with greatest need.
Factors that will be taken into account in assessing applications include:
 Educational Needs
 Health Needs
 Likely impact on other residents on the site
 Time waiting for a pitch
 Current living conditions at the time of application, roadside,
private site, housed etc. (reviewed at the time a vacant plot
becomes available).
26


Connection to the Dartford area e.g. employment, education
Family connections to the site
A Housing Officer and the Housing Manager will decide all allocations. The
decision will be made taking account of the needs of other households
accommodated on the site, to ensure that as far as possible kinship networks
are not disrupted, and cultural needs are respected.
4.7
The weekly rent is £61.82 for a single pitch with almost all residents receiving housing
benefit payments. A damage deposit of £100 is required.
4.8
Licensees are permitted to be absent for up to six weeks of the year subject to the
payment of their licence fee. Visitors are permitted to stay on the site, by informal
agreement from the site manager.
4.9
There are no pitches considered, by the local authority, to be currently doubled up on
the site.
4.10
The quality of the general surroundings, environment of the site, the sites proximity
to schools and shops and the physical condition and maintenance of the site are all
described as ‘Good’ by Dartford Borough Council. There are no reported disputes
among the residents living there. Many residents are related to each other and either
live on shared pitches or on separate pitches. Around half of the families are two
person households and around half of the resident households have children living
with them. The Council have no plans to make any further changes to the site in the
next five years.
Table 4.1: Overview of key aspects of Claywood Caravan Site
Claywood lane Caravan Site
Total number of pitches
16
Number of occupied pitches
16
Site population
29
Number of children
11
% children
38%
Average persons per occupied pitch
1.8
Doubled-up pitches
Ethnic groups among site residents
Pitch occupancy in year
% of site residents lived on site 5+ years
Weekly rent for a single pitch
Management
0
Romany Gypsy or Traveller
100%
Over 90%
£61.82
Dartford Borough Council
27
Socially Rented Sites: Survey Findings
4.11
Eight of the 16 households were interviewed as part of the survey; a 50% response
rate. All respondents identified themselves to be Romany Gypsy. The average
household size for those living on the socially rented site was 1.8.
Views on Size of Pitch and Facilities
4.12
All eight respondents reported that they owned their caravan(s), with four
respondents (50%) possessing one caravan and four respondents (50%) possessing
two caravans. The average number of caravans to household was 1.5.
4.13
In terms of the amount of space on the plot, seven respondents (88%) reported that
they had enough space. The remaining one respondent, who said they didn’t have
enough space, would like a larger pitch, more caravans and more bedrooms. This
respondent reported a need for additional accommodation for one household
comprised of three individuals (an adult and her teenage children). The specific need
relating to this household is explored further in Chapters 8 and 10.
Accommodating Visitors on their Current Site
4.14
Two respondents (25%) reported having visitors to stay with them and this tends to
be close family staying for one-two weeks in the summer months. Two respondents
cited hosting visitors as a problem due to a lack of room on their pitch. There was
mixed feedback about whether it is a problem to host visitors who are not friends or
family members on the site. Of the four respondents (50%) who thought that it is a
problem, three stated that they would only have family to stay and one stated that
they do not have enough room on their pitch for any visitors.
Length of Time in the Area
4.15
All eight respondents had lived in the west Kent area for 10 years or more. Seven
respondents supplied a main reason for living in the Dartford area and these two
reasons were:


4.16
having close family in the area (five respondents/71%)
being born there (two respondents/29%)
No respondent reported having a base elsewhere.
Length of Time on the Current Site
4.17
Seven of the eight respondents interviewed had lived on their current site for ten
years or more (88%). The remaining one respondent has lived on the site for five-ten
years and previous to that lived on a socially rented site in West Malling. Previous
accommodation of respondents is explored further in Chapter 7.
28
4.18
When asked why they had come to live on their current site, people gave a variety of
reasons (see Table 4.3 below). However, the most common reason was to be near
family – five respondents (63%).
Table 4.3: Main reason for moving to the site
Reason
To be near family
Born on the site
Work available in the area
Number
5
2
1
Percentage
63%
25%
13%
Travelling Experiences
4.19
Half of respondents reported that they stay at the site throughout the year, never
travelling, whereas two respondents (25%) stay there for 41-51 weeks, one
respondent (13%) for 31-40 weeks and one respondent (13%) was unable to say how
many weeks of the year they stay at the site. For those four respondents (50%) who
indicated that they never travelled and hadn’t done so for quite some time, the
reasons for this were:



Old age (four people/100%)
Health reasons (three people/75%)
Education reasons (one person/25%)
“Husband died nearly six years ago”
“We don’t like moving anymore because it’s not safe”
4.20
The remaining four respondents (50%) stated that they travel either a few times per
year (two people/25%) or once a year (25%), mainly to visit fairs and relatives. One
respondent also travelled for work reasons. Travelling experiences of respondents is
explored further in Chapter 7.
Work
4.21
4.22
Among the 14 adults in the eight households interviewed on the site, respondents
reported the following in terms of the employment status of family members:

Five in self-employment (36%)

Two full time homemakers (14%)

Two retired (14%)

Two unemployed and looking for work (14%)

One in employment (7%)
Of the six family members either self-employed or employed, five (83%) work in
Dartford with one respondent specifying Darenth and two specifying Bean as their
place of work. One respondent works in Tonbridge and Malling. No respondents
reported needing any additional space, now or in the future, for work reasons. Two
29
respondents report experiencing problems accessing work in the past, due to their
ethnicity.
Authorised Private Sites
4.23
This section looks at private sites across the Study Area. At the time of this study
there were 14 authorised private sites with permanent planning permission.16 These
sites accommodate 45 households. These households have varying planning consent:



The majority (37 households) are seen as authorised with permanent planning
consent.
Seven are seen to be long-standing residents of these sites and are now
considered as immune from enforcement.
One household occupies an existing private site whose planning situation is that
of ‘unauthorised development’ and who is currently at appeal.
Appendix 2 provides details of all the private sites in the Borough. At the time of this
study there were no sites with temporary planning permission.
Private Site Residents: Findings
4.24
A total of 18 people were interviewed from private sites with permanent planning
permission. Respondents were asked the permission they had for their individual
pitch and in all but one case respondents cited it to have permanent planning
permission. The remaining one respondent cited that they did not know what
planning permission they had for their pitch as they rented it from the owner. 17
However, as no respondents identified their pitch as unauthorised, the following
findings detail the responses from all households interviewed on private sites. We
were unable to ascertain which responses relate to ‘authorised’ or ‘unauthorised’
households. Households had an average of 3.1 family members. 11 respondents
(61%) described themselves as Romany Gypsy, six (33%) as Irish Travellers and one
(6%) as Scottish Traveller.
Views on Size and Facilities
4.25
Ten respondents (56%) own their own pitch, six (33%) rent their pitch from the
owner of the site and one respondent (9%) was staying on a pitch owned by a family
member. One additional respondent did not say whether they owned or rented their
pitch. All respondents reported that they own their own trailer. Ten respondents
have one trailer and eight respondents have two trailers. The average number of
caravans to households is 1.4. 17 respondents (94%) report that they have enough
space and one respondent (6%) would like a larger pitch in order to have more space
between their trailers.
16
A number of these ‘sites’ refer to multiple planning permissions (a total of seven) granted on a single area of
land known as ‘Knoxfield’.
17
It should be noted that it may be quite legitimate for the households concerned not to fully understand the
planning consent for their specific site, particularly when they may be renting this pitch from a site owner.
30
Accommodating Visitors on their Current Site
4.26
A total of 13 respondents (72%) reported hosting visitors on their site. Many
respondents have close family and friends to stay for two to four weeks at a time in
the summer months, bringing their own trailer and either staying on the
respondent’s pitch or on another pitch. Many respondents also report that Travellers
pull on to the site where they live at different times throughout the year.
“My husband’s sister and her husband and two children bring their trailer and
one motor. They come 2-3 times a year and stop for 2-3 weeks”
“Anyone who wants to pull on, as long as we know them. Usually they bring
one trailer and one motor. Some stay for only a week, some for longer.”
“I have trailers from all over pull on. Some stay for years and some stay for 23 weeks.”
“This is a Travelling Man’s site so anyone can pull on. My son is staying here
at the minute.”
4.27
No respondents report that having family and friends to stay with them is a problem.
14 respondents (78%) also report that having visitors to stay who are not family or
friends is also not a problem. Among the four respondents (22%) who said that it
either was a problem or gave ‘other’ as their response, three report that they would
allow people they know to stay and one respondent cited that the visitor would need
to be recommended and would need to bring their own trailer.
Length of Time in the Area and on the Site
4.28
14 respondents (78%) reported living in the area (i.e. Dartford Borough) for ten years
or over, whilst one (6%) has lived in the area for three-five years and one (6%) for
one-three years. Two respondents (12%) don’t know how long they have lived in the
area.
4.29
When asked why they chose to live in the Dartford area, respondents cited a variety
of reasons, see Table 4.6 below. The most common reasons however, were having
close family (89%) in the area or there being work available (78%). When asked what
the most important reason was for living in Dartford, 14 respondents gave a
response: six respondents (43%) said it was to be near close family, four (29%)
because they were born there, two (14%) due to there being work available in the
area, one to be close to extended family and one for their children’s education.
Table 4.6: Reasons for living in the area
Reason for living in the area …
Have close family in the area
Work available in the area
Have extended family in the area
Born/raised here
For the children’s education
Due to health reasons
Number
16
14
10
9
8
3
Percentage
89%
78%
56%
50%
44%
17%
31
To look after family
Lack of sites
Only place
2
1
1
11%
6%
6%
* Respondents were asked to provide all the reasons they had for living in Dartford
4.30
Generally, respondents appear to have lived on their current site for less time than
they have lived in Dartford, with four respondents (21%) having lived on their site for
three years or less. Table 4.7 below details the length of time respondents have lived
on their current site.
Table 4.7: Length of time on current site
Length of time
Number
10 years or more
9
5 to 10 years
3 to 5 years
5
1 to 3 years
2
6 to 12 months
1
3 to 6 months
1
4.31
Percentage
50%
28%
11%
5%
5%
When asked why they had come to live on their current site, people gave a variety of
reasons (see Table 4.6 below). However, the most common reason was to be near
family (50%). Five respondents offered further explanation as to why they come to
their current site, all connected to either family reasons or connection to the
Dartford area.
Table 4.6: Main reason for moving to the site
Reason
To be near family
Moved here with family
Born here
Work available in the area
Land available to buy
Lack of sites
Number
Percentage
9
3
2
2
1
1
50%
17%
11%
11%
6%
6%
“I was raised around here”
“They wanted us to have a permanent place to settle into school”
4.32






Those nine respondents who have lived at their site for less than ten years were
asked where they lived previously. Respondents previously lived in a mix of
accommodation types such as private sites, roadsides and bricks and mortar
properties. In terms of the places respondents have lived, the following were named:
Roadsides around Kent
Roadsides around Dartford
Maidstone
Sevenoaks
Canterbury
Ashford
32





Dunstable
Cambridge
Scotland
Harlow
Romford
Travelling Experiences
4.33
When asked how long they usually live on the site for, six respondents (33%) report
that they never leave, whilst six (33%) live there for 41-51 weeks per year and three
for 31-40 weeks per year (17%). When not in Dartford, respondents tend to travel to
visit the fairs. Many respondents also travel in the summer months, to visit relatives
for work, or just to travel.
“Always stay in the Dartford/Kent area.”
“Anywhere we fancy. Ireland…Germany.”
“I sometimes come to this area two times a year. I travel all over from spring
to late summer.”
“I’m a new born Christian so we go to most of the conventions and we go with
the wagon to Appleby and Stow.”
“Move to Appleby for one week in June. It depends on work when and where I
move.”
4.34
Just two respondents report having a base elsewhere. One respondent owns a
private site in Cambridge, which they use as their winter base. One respondent owns
a bricks and mortar house in Dunstable, which is their permanent base, from which
they travel from.
Work
4.35
4.36
Respondents reported the following in terms of the employment status of family
members on private sites:

25 in self-employment

Two employed

Five full time homemakers

One unemployed and not looking for work
Of the family members, 27 self-employed or employed, 13 (48%) reported working in
Dartford (either all over Dartford or specifically in Darenth or Bean), five (19%) work
in Gravesham, nine (33%) work in Sevenoaks, five (19%) in Tonbridge and Malling,
five (19%) in Thurrock, three (11%) in Bromley, one in Maidstone and one in Bexley.
No respondents reported any needs for work. Four respondents (24%) report that
they have experienced problems accessing work due to their ethnicity.
33
5. Unauthorised Sites and Planning Issues
5.1
The development of unauthorised sites for Gypsies and Travellers can be a major
source of tension between Gypsies and Travellers and the settled population. The
current planning system is intended to create conditions where there is no need for
unauthorised developments because land will be allocated for authorised site
development within the Local Plan. This chapter focuses on the development of
Gypsy and Traveller sites without planning permission. It then looks at the presence
of unauthorised encampments in the area.
Unauthorised Development of Gypsy and Traveller Sites
5.2
The Council indicates that there have been four sites classed as unauthorised
developments in the Borough, most of which have been subject to enforcement
action since 2006. There has also been the occurrence of unauthorised pitches
located on authorised sites and this issue is still on-going to date.
5.3
At the time of the survey there were four sites within the Borough with varying
unauthorised status. See Table 5.1.
Table 5.1. Unauthorised sites
Planning status
Site name
Pitches/Households
Station Road
Unauthorised development immune from
enforcement. Currently occupied
Injunction in place. Currently unoccupied
Shirehall Farm
Unauthorised development. Occupied
1 pitch
Nurstead Lane
Unauthorised development. Occupied
1 pitch
Salinas
5.4
2 pitches
1 pitch
Key issues around the sites in Table 5.1 are:

The long-term unauthorised development (Salinas) has existed within the area for
around 30 years. Although this site was classified as an unauthorised development
the site has become immune from enforcement.

The Station Road site was previously an occupied unauthorised development. This
site now has an injunction on the site and the residents have moved into bricks and
mortar housing pending the outcome of their application for planning permission.

Shirehall Farm is an occupied unauthorised development whose occupants are
currently seeking planning permission.

Nurstead Lane currently accommodates a household with planning permission and
an additional household (identified in Table 5.1) classified as unauthorised but who is
currently seeking planning consent.
34
Unauthorised Development Residents: Survey findings
5.5
Two respondents were interviewed across these unauthorised sites. Providing
statistical analysis on such a low number is impractical, therefore responses are
displayed in summary form:

Both respondents cited their ethnicity as Romany Gypsy and have an average
household size of three.

Both respondents report that they own their own plot and trailers and both
households have just one trailer.

Both respondents reported having enough space, do not have visitors to stay and
one respondent does not consider this to be a problem. The other respondent
cited that they are trying to obtain planning permission for their family to be able
to stay on the site with them.

The respondents have lived in Dartford for at least ten years, mainly living in the
area in order to be close to family.

One respondent has lived on their current site for three-five years and one for
one-three years. One respondent previously lived at the Claywood Lane site and
one previously lived in a bricks and mortar property in Belvedere.

One respondent cited that they moved to the site to be near family and one
respondent cited that they moved to the site because they found the land there
available to buy.

Both respondents report that they never leave their site and do not have a base
elsewhere.

All adults in the households are self-employed, work mainly in Dartford and have
no needs or problems in terms of work.
Unauthorised Encampments
5.6
The presence and incidence of unauthorised encampments is often a significant issue
that impacts upon local authorities, landowners, Gypsies and Travellers and the
settled population. Due to the nature of unauthorised encampments (i.e.
unpredictability, seasonal fluctuations, etc.), it is often very difficult to grasp a
comprehensive picture of need for residential and/or transit accommodation without
considering a range of interconnected issues. The Council keeps a log of
unauthorised encampments and Table 5.2 details the number of encampments
present in Dartford between the years 2009 and 2012.
Table 5.2: Unauthorised encampments in Dartford by year
Year
2012
2011
2010
2009
Number of encampments
1
3
6
3
35
5.7
Based on information provided by the Council, the trend over the past five years
shows a general decrease in the number of unauthorised encampments. Those
encampments that have occurred have been more likely to be groups in transit,
travelling between the months of April and October, staying on private landowners
land rather than public land. From the limited information obtained by the Council,
these households are not thought to need permanent accommodation in Dartford.
Dartford Council report that the size of encampments has remained broadly the
same and the annual number of encampments has been fairly low over the last four
years. The Council believe that this is due to resilience measures being undertaken
both on public and privately owned land.
5.8
The Council indicated that they visit all unauthorised encampments they are notified
of to obtain intelligence from the households there and to advise landowners. In the
last four years, a small number of encampments have moved on of their own accord,
while the majority have been issued with bailiff action or been moved on by the
Police.
Unauthorised Encampments: Survey Findings
5.9
At the time of this study, there were no unauthorised encampments in the Dartford
area and therefore it has not been possible to include any survey findings from these
community members in the report.
36
6.
Gypsies and Travellers in Social and Private Bricks and Mortar
Accommodation
6.1
The numbers of Gypsies and Travellers currently accommodated within bricks and
mortar accommodation are unknown, but nationally, the number is potentially large.
Movement to and from housing is a major concern for the strategic approach,
policies and working practices of local authorities
Estimating the Size of Gypsy and Traveller Population in Bricks and Mortar Housing
6.2
None of the stakeholders that were consulted, the local authority nor members of
the local Gypsy and Traveller communities in Dartford were able to accurately
estimate the size of the Gypsy and Traveller population in bricks and mortar
accommodation. Although Gypsies and Travellers are specifically referred to in
Dartford’s current housing and homeless strategies, there has only been one
homeless presentation from these communities in the last year. Dartford Council
also report that members from the Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople
communities are very unlikely to approach the Council for assistance. This is a
pattern found in most GTAA assessments, with many local authorities citing that their
Gypsy and Traveller community members are very unlikely to approach their local
Council for assistance.
6.3
The Commission for Racial Equality’s 2006 report, Common Ground: Equality, good
race relations and sites for Gypsies and Irish Travellers, suggested that the housed
population was around three times the number of trailer-based populations.
However, using a multiplier of three times the site population may be excessive in
the absence of definitive evidence of the size of the population.
6.4
In order to engage with households in bricks and mortar accommodation we adopted
three main strategies:

Our research team, via Community Interviewers, utilised their own extensive
social networks in order to find people who lived in housing in the area.

We asked respondents from trailer-based accommodation to pass on the details
of people living in houses who would be agreeable to be interviewed.

We utilised snowball-sampling techniques (asking respondents from housing to
recommend other similar households to engage with) to help identify potential
respondents. However, it is recognised that the survey is unlikely to have
captured all bricks and mortar residents.
An Estimation of the Size of the Bricks and Mortar Population
6.5
Using a multiplier of three times to estimate the size of the overall housed
population, as intimated by the CRE (2006) may be excessive based on a number of
reasons:
37

Very little engagement has occurred with housed populations in the area,
indicating either a lack of dependency on the authority or that the population of
families in housing is relatively low.

The Census 2011 indicates that there are only 244 individuals who ascribed to
being Gypsy or Irish Traveller in Dartford which is also met, in itself, by the trailer
based population.

The fieldwork team for this study indicated that engaging with households in
bricks and mortar accommodation appeared generally unproblematic and a total
of 25 interviews with separate households accommodated in housing were
secured. Additional interviews may well have been possible given the absence of
time constraints.
6.6
In the absence of accurate data or information, as a pragmatic working assumption
the study team therefore believes it is reasonable to assume that the sample
interviewed for this study constitutes half of the housed population. Based on a
sample of 25 households living in bricks and mortar properties our best estimate at
this time is that the bricks and mortar population equates to 50 households. This is
noted as a probable understatement and this should be reviewed in due course.
6.7
A more accurate estimation of the numbers of Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling
Showpeople in houses will only be possible when a number of issues are resolved:
6.8

The data from the Census 2011 is available by accommodation type.

Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople feel able to disclose their ethnic
group in monitoring forms and to the wider community.
Until some of the above issues are resolved, estimates based on limited census data,
the informal knowledge of stakeholders and the experiences of fieldworkers, such as
those in this study, will be the only and best source of evidence. It is recommended
that the issue of housed Gypsies and Travellers be revisited in more detail in future
studies of this type.
Living in Bricks and Mortar Accommodation: Survey Findings
6.9
From the total of 25 people who were interviewed in bricks and mortar
accommodation, 14 (64%) were living in socially rented accommodation and eight
(36%) owned their own home. The average household size for those living in bricks
and mortar is four. 24 (96%) respondents described their ethnicity as Romany Gypsy
and one as Irish Traveller.
Views on Size of Property
6.10
In terms of the size of dwellings, four respondents (16%) lived in two bedroom
dwellings, while 20 (83%) lived in three bedroom dwellings and one respondent (4%)
lived in a four bedroom property. 22 respondents (92%) thought they had adequate
living space at their property, while two respondents currently living in socially
38
rented properties (8%) said they needed more space. On both occasions, the
respondents felt that they needed more outside space to be able to put a trailer.
One respondent (4%) said they didn’t know if they needed more space or not.
“If I had somewhere to put my trailer, then I wouldn’t have to put it in
storage.”
“The bedrooms are small and I have nowhere to put a trailer so if we want to
go away we just buy one and sell it when we come back.”
6.11
Generally, those who are currently living in bricks and mortar properties are happy
doing so, with 19 people/76% describing the experience as being ‘good’ or ‘very
good’. The remaining six people (24%) live in socially rented properties and are
ambivalent about living in a bricks and mortar property.
6.12
Seven respondents (28%) indicated that close family came to stay with them for one
to two weeks throughout the year, especially over the holiday periods, with three
(43%) staying in the respondent’s trailer, two bringing their own trailer (29%) and
one staying in their own trailer on the road behind the respondent’s house.
“My daughter is here with me at the minute. The kids like it here because
there is travellers all down the street in houses, some in trailers.”
“My Granny comes for one week, two or three times a year whenever she
wants to. There’s no pattern.”
6.13
Five respondents (20%) felt hosting visitors to be a problem. Four of these
respondents currently live in socially rented properties and state the problem as
being lack of room for trailers to host visitors. One respondent (who owns their own
home) finds having visitors a problem due to personal family circumstances. No
respondents reported that they would host visitors that are not friends or family.
Length of Time in the Area and in the House
6.14
Of those currently living in bricks and mortar accommodation, 24 respondents (96%)
indicated that they had lived in the area for ten years or more, with the remaining
respondent having lived in Dartford for one-three years. When asked what the one
main reason was for staying in the area, ten people said it was because they have
close family in the area (40%) and ten people said it was because they were born in
the area (40%). Table 6.1 below details all the reasons respondents gave for staying
in the Dartford area. Respondents were able to give multiple reasons.
Table 6.1: Reasons for living in Dartford
Reason
Close family living in the area
Extended family in the area
Born/raised here
Children’s education
Socially renting
No.
%
15
94%
14
86%
10
63%
13
81%
Owner occupier
No.
%
9
100%
8
89%
8
89%
3
33%
All tenures
No.
%
24
96%
22
88%
18
72%
16
64%
39
Work available in the area
Own/family members health
To look after family
Lack of sites
Property available
Only place available
6.15
10
2
4
3
1
1
63%
13%
25%
19%
6%
6%
6
5
2
1
-
67%
56%
22%
11%
-
16
7
6
4
1
1
64%
28%
24%
16%
4%
4%
With regards to length of time in their current house, 14 respondents (56%) indicated
that they had lived there for ten years or more, seven respondents (28%) had lived
there for between five and ten years, three respondents (12%) had lived there
between three and five years and one respondent (4%) between one and three years.
Generally, those living in an owner occupied property seem to be particularly settled.
Table 6.2: length of time living in their current bricks and mortar property
Socially renting
Time
1-3 years
3-5 years
5-10 years
More than 10 years
No.
%
1
3
5
7
6%
19%
31%
44%
Owner
Occupier
No.
%
2
7
22%
78%
All tenures
No.
%
1
3
7
14
4%
12%
28%
56%
6.16
Of those 11 respondents who had lived in their current property for less than ten
years, most had lived on unauthorised encampments in Dartford and other Kent
areas. A small number have also previously lived on private sites and one respondent
previously lived in another bricks and mortar property.
6.17
When asked why they came to live in their current house, people gave a variety of
reasons (see Table 6.3 below). The most common reason was to be near family
(56%). In terms of the three (12%) respondents who gave ‘other’ as their reason for
moving into their current property, one moved there due to family problems ,one
because their parent’s house is there and one because a family needs to be more
settled due to a health issue.
Table 6.3: Main reason for moving to the house
Reason
To be near family
Lack of sites
Health reasons
Overcrowded conditions
To look after family
Children’s education
Other
Socially renting
No.
%
10
67%
2
13%
1
7%
1
7%
1
7%
Owner Occupier
No.
%
4
44%
2
22%
1
11%
2
22%
All tenures
No.
%
14
56%
2
8%
2
8%
1
4%
1
4%
1
4%
3
12%
“Got lots of family here and it’s nice to have our comforts.”
“This house has more land with it than the other one.”
“I have a daughter with Down Syndrome.”
40
“My son has health problems so it was easier in a house.”
Travelling Experiences
6.18
With regards to how many weeks of the year they usually live in the Dartford area,
ten respondents (40%) indicated that they never leave whilst 14 respondents (56%)
live at the house 41-51 weeks per year and the remaining one respondent stating
that they don’t know how many weeks a year they stay at their property. No
respondents have a base elsewhere. Travelling experiences are explored in more
detail in Chapter 7.
Work
6.19
6.20
Among the reported 53 adult household members, respondents reported the
following in terms of the employment status of family members living in bricks and
mortar accommodation:

22 in self-employment (42%)

Seven full time homemakers (13%)

Six retired (11%)

Five in employment (9%)

One unemployed and looking for work (2%)

One unemployed and not looking for work (2%)

One in further education (3%)
Of the 29 family members either self-employed or employed, 16 (55%) worked in
Dartford, eight (28%) in Gravesham, nine (31%) in Sevenoaks, five (17%) in Tonbridge
and Malling, five (17%) in Medway, three (10%) in Thurrock, five (17%) in Bromley,
and four (14%) in Bexley. One respondent who owns their own property feels that
they will have needs for work in the future, but did not expand on what this need is.
One respondent reported that they had experienced problems accessing work in the
past due to their ethnicity.
“About six years ago, I was doing a lady’s garden and my cousin pulled up
talking to me in his lorry and she came over and asked me to leave. So that’s
why I never tell anyone who I am when I’m working”
41
7.
Travelling, Experiences of Bricks and Mortar Housing, Movement
Between Sites and Bricks and Mortar and Access to Health Facilities
7.1
This chapter addresses a range of issues including: travelling behaviours, experiences
of living in bricks and mortar accommodation, satisfaction with access to health
services and facilities and experience of previous accommodation lived in. These
issues are examined in order to gain an understanding of the attitudes and lifestyles
of Gypsy and Traveller communities in Dartford and the likely trends of movement to
and from bricks and mortar accommodation, which will work in supporting the
calculations made in the accommodation needs in Chapter 10.
Travelling Experiences
7.2
In order to shed some light on the travelling patterns and experiences of Gypsies,
Travellers and Travelling Showpeople throughout the study area, respondents were
asked about a range of issues associated with travelling.
7.3
One of the most important issues is to gain some understanding of how frequently
households travel. The vast majority of people in the study area reported that they
never travelled or travelled seasonally, which generally means for short periods
during the summer months. Just one household, who was living on a Travelling
Showpeople site, reported travelling every week. Among Gypsies and Travellers,
those living on private sites with planning permission travel the most frequently, with
two respondents (11%) travelling every month or so. Table 7.1 below breaks this
down by accommodation type.
Table 7.1: Frequency of travelling by current accommodation type
Total
Frequency
Every day or
so
Every week
Every month
or so
Few times a
year
Once per year
Never
Socially
rented sites
No.
%
Unauthorised
developments
No.
%
Private sites
(perm)
No.
%
Travelling
Showpeople
No.
%
Bricks &
mortar
No.
%
No.
%
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
2%
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
20%
-
-
2
4%
-
-
-
-
2
11%
-
-
-
-
23
40%
2
25%
-
-
7
39%
2
40%
12
48%
9
24
16%
41%
2
4
25%
50%
2
100%
3
6
17%
33%
2
40%
4
10
16%
40%
Base: 58 respondents providing information
7.4
Generally, this appears a slightly more static population than a number of other areas
in which the researchers have worked across the country, where residents from all
accommodation types, but particularly households on private sites and in bricks and
mortar housing, appear to travel more often. However, it is common in GTAAs across
the country (i.e. the North of England, Midlands and South East of England) for large
numbers of residents to report that they ‘never’ travel. The travelling patterns of
Gypsies and Travellers in Dartford share similarities with other near and adjacent
local authorities within Kent.
42
7.5
We asked those who said they never travelled to tell us why, which resulted in some
diverse responses. Table 7.2 looks at the proportion of people not travelling for
reasons of health, education or old age. As can be seen, children’s education was
the main reason provided, which was slightly higher for those living in bricks and
mortar properties (four/50%). The four respondents who never travel living on the
council site however, are more likely to say that they never travel due to health
(two/50%) compared to those living in other accommodation types.
Table 7.2: Reasons given for never travelling
Socially
rented sites
No.
%
Reason
Your own, a
family member
or a
dependent’s
educational
needs
Your own, a
family member
or a
dependent’s
health
Your own, a
family member
or a
dependent’s
older age
Other reason
Unauthorised
developments
No.
%
Private sites
(perm)
No.
%
Travelling
showpeople
No.
%
Bricks &
mortar
No.
%
All tenures
No.
%
1
25%
1
50%
3
60%
-
-
8
80%
13
57%
3
75%
1
50%
1
20%
1
50%
4
40%
10
44%
4
100%
-
-
1
20%
1
50%
1
10%
7
30%
2
67%
1
50%
1
33%
-
-
8
80%
12
60%
Base: 23 respondents providing information. Respondents could submit multiple responses in order
to best explain their situation.
7.6
Twelve (60%) respondents reported that they ‘never travelled’ due to ‘other’
reasons. Such reasons were diverse with many people providing responses that
suggest that a lack of travelling is due to the changing nature of the travelling way of
life:
“Got too many animals to look after”
(Household currently accommodated on a site with permanent planning
permission)
“I just drive the kids to the fairs and we book a hotel room if we need to”
(Household currently accommodated in bricks and mortar accommodation)
“Aint got a trailer anymore”
(Household currently accommodated in bricks and mortar accommodation)
“We don’t like moving anymore because it’s not safe”
(Household currently living on the socially rented site)
43
7.7
For those who did travel, we asked them where they liked to go. This was an open
question, designed to allow respondents to mention three of the places they visit
most frequently. The most common destination seemed to be Appleby Fair in
Cumbria or a number of other traditional horse fairs across the UK. A wide variety of
other places across the whole of the UK were also mentioned such as Birmingham,
Yorkshire, Derby, Wales and Ireland. Coastal towns in the South of England appear to
be fairly popular such as Brighton, Eastbourne, Hastings, Margate, Bournemouth and
Clacton-on-Sea. It is difficult to ascertain and quantify a specific travelling pattern
from these responses. However, it seems that there is seasonal travelling for holidays
in the ‘South’ of England, travelling to other parts of the UK for work to visit family
and to visit the fairs.
7.8
Of the 35 people who said they still travel to a certain extent, 29 (81%) of these had
travelled at some point in the past 12 months. Respondents were asked their main
reasons for travelling. Table 7.3 below demonstrates that the majority of
respondents travel predominantly for social reasons, such as to go to the fairs or to
visit relatives. Considering travelling for the purpose of finding work as evidence of
sustaining a nomadic lifestyle, the study found that nine (32%) of the 35 of those who
do travel to some extent, cited travelling as part of the work they do as one of their
reasons for travelling. However, only five respondents (18%) stated work as their
main reason for travelling.
Table 7.3: Main reasons for travelling
Main reason
Fairs
Visit relatives
Work
Community event
Holiday
Socially
rented sites
No.
%
1
33%
2
67%
-
-
Private sites
(perm)
No.
%
3
33%
3
33%
2
22%
1
11%
Travelling
Showpeople
No.
%
2
100%
-
Bricks &
mortar
No.
%
7
50%
3
21%
1
7%
3
21%
-
All tenures
No.
11
8
5
3
1
%
39%
29%
18%
11%
4%
Base: 28 respondents providing information. Respondents were ask to provide just one
answer to this question
7.9
For those people who still travelled, there was a wide variation in how many
caravans/trailers they travelled with, from one to seven, with the majority at 91% (30
respondents) travelling with just one caravan. 15 respondents (54%) also travel with
equipment with the majority (12 respondents/80%) travelling with just one piece of
equipment. Only three respondents (11%) report staying on roadside encampments
when travelling, with the remaining 25 respondents (89%) who have travelled in the
last 12 months staying on private sites, fair sites, transit sites or with family and
friends.
Experiences of Living in Bricks and Mortar Accommodation
7.10
This section addresses respondents’ experiences of living in bricks and mortar
accommodation at some point in their life. Overall, of the 33 households interviewed
who were living in site based accommodation; five (15%) reported having experience
of living in a bricks and mortar property. The following provides a case by case study
of these five households (HH):
44
HH1
HH2
HH3
HH4
HH5
Currently living on an unauthorised development, previously lived in a property which
they owned. They moved there with family and described the experience as ‘good’. The
respondent moved from the property for health reasons.
Currently living on a private site with permanent planning permission, previously socially
rented bricks and mortar property in Dartford. They moved there because they were
evicted from their previous property. They describe their experience of living in a bricks
and mortar property as ‘poor’ and moved from this property due to health reasons, “the
house just got me down. I wanted to be with my own family.”
Currently living on a private site with permanent planning permission; they have
experience of living in a socially rented bricks and mortar property in Sevenoaks. They
moved there due to a lack of site based accommodation and the respondent describes
their experience of living in the property as ‘very poor’. They moved from there due to
experiencing harassment.
Currently living on the socially rented site in Dartford, socially rented a bricks and mortar
property in Dartford. The respondent was ambivalent about their experience of living
there and moved due to marriage.
Currently living on a site with permanent planning permission, the household currently
owns a bricks and mortar property in Dunstable. They moved there as the property was
located close to their private site and was available to buy. The respondent described the
experience of living in a bricks and mortar property as ‘poor’ and moved from there to be
close to family.
Movement between Sites and Bricks and Mortar
7.11
16 respondents stated that they had lived in their current accommodation their
entire adult lives. 19 site-based respondents have lived elsewhere before coming to
their current site. 16 respondents currently living in site-based accommodation
previously also lived in site based accommodation (84%), while three respondents
previously lived in a bricks and mortar property (16%). 23 respondents currently
living in bricks and mortar properties, have lived elsewhere before coming to their
property. Only one of these respondents previously lived in another bricks and
mortar property (4%) while 22 respondents previously lived in site-based
accommodation (96%). There are several possible explanations for a move into
housing, including: a change in lifestyle and an increased desire for a more ‘settled’
lifestyle, lack of pitch availability, affordability of land, a desire to be close to family
and friends and the education and health needs of household members.
Access to Health, Education and Careers Services
7.12
This section provides an overview of some of the health experiences of Gypsies and
Travellers in the area. Issues of access to health care services and perceived barriers
to access experienced by respondents, are discussed below.
7.13
For the overwhelming majority of respondents, those people who required access to
healthcare services were able to access them. See Table 7.4 below
45
Table 7.4: Access to health services
Service
GP/Health Centre
Health Visitor
A&E
Dentist
Maternity care
Schools
Training
Careers Services
Work Services
7.14
Have access (%)
100%
95%
98%
93%
60%
72%
19%
23%
18%
Don’t have access (%)
5%
27%
24%
27%
Not relevant (%)
5%
2%
7%
35%
28%
54%
53%
55%
Respondents were asked if they had any problems accessing services and all stated
that they had no problems. Nor did they indicate how access could be improved.
“I think we have access to all of the above but we haven’t had to use them.”
46
8.
Future Accommodation, Household Formation and Accommodation
Affordability
8.1
This chapter looks at a range of issues including the accommodation intentions of the
households surveyed, the formation of new households and the concealment of
existing ones. These factors are key drivers in the assessment of accommodation
needs within Dartford. The findings from the survey are presented here and how this
then translates into ‘need’ is discussed in Chapter 10.
Preferred ways of living
8.2
Respondents were asked to tell us what their top three ways of residential living that
best suits their needs are. Table 8.1 details the 1st, 2nd and 3rd preferred ways of
living among respondents. A total of 60% (30) feel that a site owned by themselves
best meets their needs as an accommodation type. A private rented site is most
likely to be cited as a 2nd (22%) and 3rd (22%) preferred way of living. In terms of
bricks and mortar living, owner occupation is the most popular tenure, with 21% of
respondents (12) citing this as their most preferred way of living.
B&M
Socially Rented
B&M
Private Rented
B&M
Owner Occupation
Site
Socially Rented
Site
Privately Rented
Site
Owner Occupation
Roadside
Short Stay Site
Base: 51 respondents
Most preferred
way
2nd Preferred way
3rd Preferred way
3% (2)
5% (3)
10% (6)
-
-
3% (2)
21% (12)
14% (8)
10% (6)
10% (6)
10% (6)
16% (9)
-
22% (13)
22% (13)
60% (30)
21% (12)
7% (4)
2% (1)
-
14% (8)
-
9% (5)
5% (3)
Future Accommodation Intentions
8.3
Table 8.2 shows the movement intentions of the 58 households interviewed in
Dartford. The table shows that the vast majority of households surveyed, whether
living on a site or in bricks and mortar housing, either plan to stay in their current
accommodation indefinitely (28%), or have no firm plans to move in the near future
(60%). This suggests that the area is home to a generally settled community. Three
respondents stated that they have firm plans to move; two respondents living on a
private site with planning permission and one respondent living in a bricks and
mortar property, all of whom plan to move in the next one-two years. One
respondent plans to move to the North of England for work reasons, one to
47
Southampton, for no particular reason and one to travel. All plan to move to a
private site.
Table 8.2: Movement intentions
Socially
rented sites
No.
%
Intention
Have no plans to
move
Going to stay in
current
accommodation
indefinitely
Would like to
move In the next
1-2 years
Other
Unauthorised
developments
No.
%
Private sites
(perm)
No.
%
Travelling
Showpeople
No.
%
Bricks &
mortar
No.
%
All tenures
No.
%
6
75%
2
100%
8
44%
2
40%
17
68%
35
60%
2
25%
-
-
7
39%
2
40%
5
20%
16
28%
-
-
-
-
2
11%
-
-
1
4%
3
5%
-
-
-
-
1
6%
1
20%
2
8%
4
7%
Household Concealment
8.4
8.5
As outlined in Chapter 2 concealed or suppressed, households can occur for a variety
of reasons. Some of these are listed below and are not necessarily mutually exclusive:

The inability of households to obtain larger or more suitable accommodation.

The inability of households to set up separate family units, due to lack of space,
finance or the dynamics of the extended family unit (i.e. elderly relatives).

The inability of households to access a place on an authorised site.

The inability of households to obtain or afford land to develop a site.
Considering these issues, respondents were asked if there was anyone in their
household who was immediately in need of their own separate accommodation. Two
respondents from the sample reported a concealed separate household living within
their current household. The following details the needs of these households:
HH1
HH2
8.6
One respondent living on the council run site reports having one concealed
households living with them; A 36 year old daughter and her teenage children.
The respondent would like this household to live on a pitch on the Claywood lane
site as they like it there and would like to stay close due to a family breakdown.
The respondent does not have room on their plot for another trailer.
One respondent living on a private site with permanent planning permission
reports having a 20 year old son who needs his own trailer. The respondent
would like their son to have a pitch on their site as he is not married and so has no
plans to move away from his family.
No households living in bricks and mortar accommodation reported having any
concealed households living within them.
48
Household Formation
8.7
Respondents were also asked whether there were people living with them who were
likely to want their own separate accommodation in the next five years (by 2017).
Two respondents felt sure that a member of their household would need their own
separate accommodation in the next five years. The following provides detail of
these two households:
HH1
HH2
8.8
Currently living on a private site with permanent planning permission, has an 18
year old son who is due to be married in 2014. The respondent reports that they
will live in site based accommodation in another part of the UK. “They will live in
a trailer but its up to them where they pull.”
Currently living in an owner-occupier bricks and mortar property, has a 19 year
daughter who is due to be married in 2014. The respondent reports that they will
live in site based accommodation in another part of the UK, “her boyfriend comes
from Essex.”
It is important to note that within the sample of this study there are a total of 28
children aged between 11-16 years living within current households across all
accommodation types; ten in bricks and mortar accommodation and 18 living on
sites. A proportion of these emerging households will most likely require separate
accommodation at some point in the mid to long-term future. However, as no
households declared any future need from forming households, and therefore did
not supply any details about what that future need might be, we cannot calculate the
accommodation need from these households with any level of certainty. We
recommend that the need from newly emerging households is monitored and
addressed, where appropriate.
Accommodation Affordability
8.9
In order to explore issues of accommodation affordability and to help the local
authority understand whether households have an ability to afford accommodation
privately, as opposed to relying on socially rented provision, we looked at the views
of respondents living in all accommodation types, and their ability to afford the
purchase of any of the following: a pitch on a private site with planning permission or
land to be developed into a site.
8.10
Over half stated that they are unable to afford land of any type (56%). Five
households stated that they could afford to buy either land with planning permission
or land to be developed into a site; two respondents living on private sites with
planning permission, one respondent socially renting a bricks and mortar property
and two respondents who own their own bricks and mortar property. Table 8.3
details the affordability of different site and pitch options. Results from the survey
suggest that respondents have taken into consideration the land types they would
consider, along with what they feel is affordable.
49
Table 8.3: Affordability of different land types
Can afford
Pitch on a
private
site with
planning
permission
Land to be
developed
into a site
Can’t
afford to
purchase
land or a
pitch
Not
relevant
Socially
rented
sites
Unauthorised
Travelling
developments Showpeople
B&M
Socially
rented
Private
sites
B&M
Owner
occupied
Total
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No
%
-
-
-
-
-
-
2
11%
1
6%
2
22%
5
-
-
-
-
-
-
2
11%
1
6%
2
22%
5 9%
6
75%
1
50%
-
-
9
53%
13
81%
3
33%
33 56%
2
25%
1
50%
-
-
7
41%
3
19%
4
44%
21 37%
9%
Base: 58 respondents providing information. Respondents could submit multiple responses in order
to best explain their situation.
8.11
A total of 21 households (37%) felt that the issues relating to affordability were
irrelevant to them. This was mainly due to feeling settled and/or already owning
land.
8.12
In looking at accommodation affordability, we also looked at the amount
respondents paid per week/month in rent or mortgage for their current
accommodation (see Table 8.4). This shows that those respondents who are
accommodated on socially rented sites pay £60 - £89 per week. Of those living in
bricks and mortar housing, the majority pay £90 - £119 per week.
No.
£30 - £59
£60 - £89
£90 - £119
%
-
All tenures
B&M
Owner
occupied
B&M
Socially rented
Travelling
Showpeople
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
No.
%
-
-
2
11%
3
60%
-
-
-
-
5
9%
100%
-
-
1
6%
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
16%
-
-
-
2
11%
-
-
14
88%
1
11%
17
29%
8
Private sites
(perm)
Rent/
Mortgage
Unauthorised
developments
Socially rented
sites
Table 8.4: Rent/mortgage level (weekly)
50
£120- £149
£150 - £179
Don't know
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
6%
1
20%
1
6%
1
11%
4
7%
Prefer not to
say
-
-
-
-
-
-
1
20%
1
6%
5
56%
7
12%
Don't pay
rent/mortgage
-
-
2
100%
12
67%
-
-
-
-
2
22%
16
28%
8.13
It is worth noting that a diversity of socio-economic situations are present amongst
the Gypsy and Traveller communities; from the moderately wealthy to those who are
very poor. Although obtaining empirical evidence on the economic circumstances of
Gypsies and Travellers is very difficult, it is well established that Gypsies and
Travellers are amongst the most culturally, socially, physically and financially
excluded in society. A number of families will always be able to afford to purchase or
rent pitches at market rates. However, in line with the rest of society, other sections
of these communities are excluded from accommodation provided at market rates
and require additional support to access safe and secure accommodation in line with
their cultural needs. The absence of a range of tenure to address this diversity of
socio-economic circumstances could lead to a perpetuation and possible increase in
hidden homelessness. The ability to afford accommodation should influence the
tenure type that the local authority seeks to provide when endeavouring to meet
future accommodation needs.
8.14
Very little work has been undertaken in order to explore how households within the
Gypsy and Traveller communities will be affected by the introduction of Universal
Credit. Many of the challenges faced by households within settled communities will
be shared by Gypsies and Travellers. However, a number of key issues may
disproportionately exacerbate the situation for Gypsies and Travellers.
8.15
Firstly, on a national level, there appears to be a significant reliance on Housing
Benefit for those households living in socially rented, site based accommodation, in
order to make their accommodation affordable. Should these benefits be reduced,
debts related to housing costs could occur, as could evictions from authorised sites
and bricks and mortar housing.
8.16
Secondly, the low level of literacy within the communities may mean that access to
the new Benefits system – which will be available electronically – may also impact on
the ability of households to achieve the best financial situation for themselves and
their families. It is recommended that further work, at national and local levels, be
undertaken to explore the impact of the welfare reforms on members of the Gypsy
and Traveller communities.
51
9.
Travelling Showpeople
9.1
Planning policy relating to Travelling Showpeople is set out in the Planning Policy for
Traveller Sites (2012). As with the previous advice in Circular 4/2007 on Planning for
Travelling Showpeople, it is clear that the accommodation needs of Travelling
Showpeople should be included within the assessments of accommodation need for
Travellers.
9.2
There is currently one Travelling Showpeople site in Dartford, with approximately 20
residential plots and 30 plots for vehicle and plant storage. The site is private and
authorised. Dartford Council report that the number of sites has not increased or
decreased over the last six years and they do not expect the number to increase in
the next five years.
9.3
Dartford Council report that between six and 20 households reside on this site at
different times throughout the year. Several attempts were made to contact the site
manager to gain a thorough understanding of the numbers and dynamics of the
families living on site. Unfortunately, it was not possible to obtain an interview with
this individual. As such, taking a pragmatic approach, an average of the number of
households found at the site at any one time has been applied, resulting in an
estimated 12 households. It is recommended that this estimation is reviewed in due
course.
9.4
During the fieldwork stage of the study, Dartford Council became aware of a group of
Travelling Showpeople families who were seeking land for the purpose of creating a
winter site. An interview with a member of one of the households identified that the
majority of the families do not have a specific connection to the local area. The
respondent cited that land was being sought in the area due to overcrowded
conditions on other Travelling Showpeople sites in Kent generally. At the time of this
study, Dartford Council had not received any planning applications from these
households. We recommend that these families are included in a further study of
need for Travelling Showpeople provision across the Kent County and surrounding
areas.
Findings from the Survey of Travelling Showpeople
9.5
Five interviews were secured with households on the Travelling Showpeoples site.
Due to the small sample number it is not appropriate to provide full analysis and
percentages from the findings. Also, it should be noted that the households
interviewed tended to be smaller retired households, as at the time of the survey,
the majority of the households based at the site were away working at fairs in other
parts of the country. The following bullet points provides a detailed summary of the
responses from the five households interviewed:

All households interviewed report having two people living in the household, all
reporting their ethnicity as ‘Showmen’.

Respondents cited that they owned their trailer and either rented their plot or
lived there as part of a wider family unit.
52

All respondents reported having enough space and store fair equipment at the
site with them.

Two respondents reported that they have visitors to stay, and this tends to be
other showpeople as they are passing through the area. No respondents
reported hosting visitors to be a problem.

One respondent was born on the site and the other four respondents live there as
it is convenient for their working pattern.

The respondents have lived in Dartford for at least ten years, with one mainly
living in the area in order to be close to family and four for its convenient
location. All respondents have also lived on the site for at least ten years.

Two respondents report that they never leave their site and the reaming three
respondents report that they live on the site for 11-20 weeks per year, travelling
with the fair for the rest of the year. No respondents have a permanent base
elsewhere.

All adults in the households are self-employed, work all over the country and
have no needs or problems in terms of work.
53
10.
An Assessment of Accommodation Need
10.1
Irrespective of change in planning policy targeted at resolving Gypsy and Traveller
accommodation issues, there are no signs that the growth in the Gypsy and Traveller
population will slow significantly. Research from the Equalities and Human Rights
Commission (EHRC) has indicated that around 6,000 additional pitches for Gypsies
and Travellers are immediately required nationally to meet the current shortage of
accommodation within England.18
A Note on the Assessment of Accommodation Need
10.2
10.3
Despite all local authorities across England completing a first round of Gypsy and
Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessments (GTAAs) over the 2006-2009 period,
the methods of assessing and calculating the accommodation needs of Gypsies and
Travellers are still developing. The model drawn upon here is derived from a number
of sources including:

The Guidance on Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessments.19

Guidance and experience of benchmarking the robustness of GTAAs.20

Knowledge and experience of assumptions featuring in other GTAAs and results
of EiP tests of GTAAs.

The document ‘Planning policy for traveller sites’ which was released in March
2012.
In a move from the first round of GTAAs, this Traveller Accommodation Assessment
has focused more closely on the constitution of local and historic need. In terms of
addressing local and historic need this assessment has measured this by:

Surveying households resident within Dartford, as opposed to extrapolating
trends and findings from households resident outside the authority, which often
occurs where neighbouring authorities have combined to produce joint GTAAs.

Drawing upon empirical primary research within Dartford as opposed to
developing projections based upon trends within the Caravan Count. Via a
process of triangulation, records are brought together with survey responses on
issues such as unauthorised sites, concealed households, etc. to develop a robust
assessment of need. Similarly, an empirical assessment of local likely future need
is made possible via the comprehensive survey of households and their
characteristics. Together these factors represent the latest position on historic
demand.
18
See Brown, P., Henning, S. and Niner, P (2010) Assessing local housing authorities’ progress in meeting the
accommodation needs of Gypsy and Traveller communities in England and Wales : Update 2010, Equality and
Human Rights Commission.
19
CLG (2007) Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessments – Guidance, London: HMSO.
20
CURS, SHUSU and CRESR (2007) Preparing Regional Spatial Strategy reviews on Gypsies and Travellers by
regional planning bodies, London: CLG, online at:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/209/PreparingRegionalSpa
tialStrategyreviewsonGypsiesandTravellersbyregionalplannings_id1508209.pdf
54
10.4
This study has taken a thorough assessment of the pitch need arising from all
accommodation types present at the time of the survey. As such, this assessment of
need should be regarded as a reasonable and robust assessment of need, upon which
to inform the development of planning policy and future planning decisions.
10.5
Table 10.1 below contains the requirements for net additional pitches that need to
be developed to meet the identified accommodation need. Accommodation need
has been considered in this assessment by carefully exploring the following factors:
Current Residential Supply

Socially rented pitches.

Private authorised pitches.

Pitches immune from enforcement.
Residential Need 2013 – 2018

Temporary planning permissions, which will end over the assessment period.

Concealment of households.

Allowance for family growth over the assessment period.

Need for authorised pitches from families on unauthorised developments.

Movement over the assessment period between sites and housing.

Whether the closure of any existing sites is planned.

Potential need for residential pitches in the area from families on unauthorised
encampments.

Movement between areas.

Overcrowding of sites.
Additional Supply 2013 – 2018
10.6
The requirements are presented in summary form in Table 10.1 below. This table
details the overall accommodation and pitch needs, over the next 15 years, for
Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople resident in Dartford, based on the
definition of households in the Housing Act. Each element is explained in greater
detail below. All figures relate to pitches not sites.
55
Table 10.1: Summary of Gypsy and Traveller accommodation and pitch need (2013 -2028)
Element of supply and need
Accommodation Need/
Supply Total (households)
Current residential supply as of May 2013
1
Socially rented pitches
16
2
Private authorised pitches
37
3
Pitches immune from enforcement
9
4
Total residential Gypsy and Traveller pitches
62
Residential pitch need 2013 –2018
5
End of temporary planning permissions
0
6
Concealed households
5
7
New household formation
3
8
Unauthorised developments
3
9
Net Movement from housing to sites/sites to housing
2
10
Closure of sites
0
11
Unauthorised encampments
0
12
Movement between areas
0
13
Residential pitch need (2013 –2018)
13
14
Supply (2013 - 2018)
0
15
Residential pitch need (2013 – 2018)
13
16
Residential pitch need (2018 – 2023)
10
17
Residential pitch need (2023 – 2028)
11
18 Total Residential pitch need (2013–2028)
34
Note: For pragmatic reasons these figures have been rounded to the nearest whole pitch
Explanation of the Need Requirement Elements
Current Residential Supply
10.7
Row 1: The number of pitches on socially rented sites provided by local authority
information.
10.8
Row 2: The number of pitches on private authorised sites provided by local authority
information.
10.9
Row 3: The number of unauthorised but immune pitches estimated to be on the
existing authorised private sites (Fairview and Castle Farm) and the unauthorised
development which is now immune from enforcement (Salinas) from information
provided by the local authority. However, there are a number of issues which should
be taken into consideration. Firstly, the number of households on the sites could be
more than estimated. A 1.4 caravan to pitch ratio has been used and this assumes
households own varying numbers of caravans i.e. 1-3. As we were unable to produce
56
a 100% census of these sites the actual number of people on the sites should be
monitored in order to ensure accurate data is being used. Secondly, incorporating
these sites into supply serves the purpose of illustrating the ‘immune from
enforcement’ status these sites have for the local authority and that there will be no
future pursuit of enforcement on the households occupied there. However, this does
not mean the same as acknowledging the current planning status as being
appropriate. Households occupied there are in need of regularised accommodation
and an ability to improve the conditions in which they live. The local authority should
seek to work towards addressing these issues as soon as is practicable.
10.10 Row 4: The total number of residential pitches within Dartford.
Residential Pitch Need 2013–2018
10.11 Row 5: The number of pitches, which have temporary planning permission due to
expire within the assessment period. There are no pitches with temporary planning
permission within the study area.
10.12 Row 6: This details the number of concealed households occupying existing
accommodation who require independent accommodation within Dartford.
Pitch requirement from concealed households across all accommodation types
Finding: Within the survey of households, across all accommodation types, two
respondents report having independent households living with them which were in
need of their own separate accommodation/pitch. Each responding household
reports having one additional concealed independent household.
Assumptions:



There were no concealed households observed with bricks and mortar
housing.
Concealed households are likely to require site-based accommodation.
Assume survey findings are reflective of the whole site-based population in
Dartford (socially rented, private sites, unauthorised developments).
Calculation: Two households represent 7% of the sample on site-based
accommodation. Grossed up to the total site-based population in the area (65
households) equates to five households who are concealed. Need from concealed
households = five households.
10.13 Row 7: This is the number of pitches required from new household formation.
Pitch requirement from new households forming
Finding: Drawing upon the information contained within Chapter 8, responses to
the survey suggested that there were two households who required their own
separate pitch-based accommodation in the next five years. One of these
households came from a household in bricks and mortar accommodation and the
57
other came from one of the private sites. The responses to the survey suggested
that all these households will move away from Dartford.
In addition, 22 respondents reported having 11-16 year olds living within the
households equalling 28 family members who will be 16-21 years old in five years’
time (see Appendix 3).
Assumptions:
 It is unlikely that there will be no household growth in the next five years
due to the presence of older children in a number of the households.
 We assume the children from households in bricks and mortar (18 children
currently aged 11-16 years) would continue to live in housing.
 We assume a proportion of the nine children who are 11-16 years currently
would require site-based accommodation within Dartford.
 Assuming these children are equally spread across this age range (i.e. two
children in each year cohort) we assume there are two children who will be
21 in five years’ time.
 Assuming one child has already been accounted for and will move from
Dartford to another area (as identified in the survey responses) we assume
an additional child will require independent accommodation in Dartford.
Calculation: One household is the equivalent to 4% of the sample of households on
sites. Grossed to the whole population of households on sites = three households.
10.14 Row 8: This is the level of need arising from current unauthorised developments.
Households on pitches on unauthorised developments
Finding: According to the local authority, there were four unauthorised sites on
unauthorised developments at the time of the assessment. One site is considered
long-term and immune from enforcement and has been considered as provision
within the area but with caveats around the need to regularise their planning
status. Of the other three sites:
 Station Road (one pitch) is currently unoccupied as a result of an injunction.
 Shirehall Farm (one pitch) is an occupied unauthorised development.
 Nurstead Land (one pitch) is an occupied unauthorised development
situated adjacent to an existing pitch with planning permission.
Assumptions:
 The survey has shown that the residents of these sites are all long-term
residents of Dartford.
 Since these sites are, by definition, unauthorised, these households are in
need of authorised, legal accommodation, whether through the granting of
planning permission, the provision of other accommodation options or the
provision of accommodation elsewhere.
Calculation: Number of households on unauthorised developments in need of
58
accommodation in Dartford = three households/pitches
10.15 Row 9: This is the estimation of the flow from sites to houses and vice versa.
Net Movement between housing and sites
Movement from sites to housing findings: No site-based households expressed an
intention to move into bricks and mortar accommodation.
Calculation: no site-based households expressed an intention to move into bricks
and mortar housing = 0 households
Movement from housing to sites findings: One of the 25 respondents living in
bricks and mortar housing indicated a firm intention to move onto a private pitch
from their house in the next one to two years. This represents 4% of the sample of
households living in bricks and mortar.
Assumptions:
 Responses in the survey suggest that it is likely that there will be some
movement from housing to sites over the assessment period.
 Assume upon the creation of more pitches and improvement to site
conditions, there will be no movement from sites to housing over the
assessment period.
Calculation: 4% of the estimated households in bricks and mortar housing = two
households who are likely to move from housing to sites over the assessment
period.
Net movement from housing to sites = two households/pitches
10.16 Row 10: Plans to close existing sites, which have been calculated within the supply of
site accommodation, will ultimately displace a number of Gypsies and Travellers
resulting in an increase in housing need. There are no sites that are due to close in
Dartford.
10.17 Row 11: Information received from the local authority, the County Council and
derived from fieldwork indicated that the level of unauthorised camping was usually
low to nil. The small number of encampments which did occur were primarily
attributed to requiring transit accommodation for short periods. There appears a nil
need for permanent pitches identified from households on unauthorised
encampments. This should however be monitored.
10.18 Row 12: This is the level of movement of households between areas.
Net Movement between areas
Finding: The assessment found evidence to suggest that two households on private
sites may move from Dartford to other areas of the UK. Both households were on
59
private sites.
Assumptions:
 Both households are occupied private sites.
 If movement out of the area occurs it is reasonable to assume in-migration
will also occur.
 As the survey cannot acquire empirical data from outside the area about
the movement intentions of external households, the quantification of inmigration is impossible.
 Assume that in-migration will balance out-migration
Calculation: In-migration will balance out-migration. Nil need.
10.19 Row 13: This is the total gross residential need for pitches arising in Dartford
between 2013 and 2018.
10.20 Row 14: This includes the supply of pitches from all authorised sites. This is assumed
to be zero.
10.21 Row 15: This is the total net requirement for pitches arising in Dartford between
2013 and 2018.
Permanent Residential Accommodation Need over 2018–2023, and 2023-2028
10.22 The current national shortage of sites and pitches for Gypsies and Travellers means
that it is difficult to predict trends in living arrangements until the current lack of
pitch-based accommodation has been addressed at a national level. There is no
means of knowing how Gypsies and Travellers will decide to live in the next decade.
10.23 However, it is necessary to plan for the long term and anticipate pitch need from
Gypsy and Traveller households. In order to tackle the complexity of needs that may
well occur over the next decade, it is established practice in assessment of Gypsy and
Traveller accommodation needs to apply an assumed rate of household growth. It
has been common in similar studies to employ a standard 3% per annum compound
rate of household growth. This figure is then applied to the projected number of
pitches which should be available by 2018, 85 pitches, (this is inclusive of all existing
residential pitches plus new pitches which should be available by 2018), minus an
assumed ratio of 1:0.75 used to account for any potential pitch sharing.21 All
household growth is assumed to require a site-based solution.
10.24 The supply of pitches over the 2018–2028 period has been considered, but has been
assumed to be zero. This is consistent with more recent GTAAs and implicitly
compensates for not taking into account needs arising from drivers other than family
growth over this period. It is recommended that the rate of household growth be
kept under review.
10.25 Row 16: The total requirement for pitches in Dartford over the period 2018-2023.
21
A pitch sharing rate of 1:0.75 was recommended for use in the South East Examination in Public Panel
Report.
60
10.26 Row 17: The total requirement for pitches in Dartford over the period 2023-2028.
10.27 Row 18: The total overall requirement for pitches in Dartford over the period 20132028.
In Summary
10.28 Analysis of data has shown that accommodation need will arise from the following
factors:

Concealed households.

New household formation.

Unauthorised developments.

Movement from houses to sites.
10.29 This analysis has shown that there is an accommodation need for 34 households over
the 2013-2028 period. These figures incorporate a household growth rate of 3% per
year compound, as applied to all current households in the area and all future
households that should be accommodated on pitches by 2018 to estimate need in
the period 2018-2028. In addition, there is a need to regularise the planning consent
for an additional nine pitches currently immune from enforcement.
Assessment of Accommodation Need for Travelling Showpeople
10.30 As highlighted previously, this study has taken a thorough assessment of the need
arising from all accommodation types present at the time of the survey. Table 10.2
below contains the requirements for net additional plots that need to be developed
to meet the measured need of Travelling Showpeople in the study area.
Accommodation need has been considered in this assessment by carefully exploring
the following factors:
Current Residential Supply


Socially rented plots.
Private authorised plots.
Residential Need 2013–2018






Temporary planning permissions, which will end over the assessment period.
Concealment of households.
Allowance for family growth over the assessment period.
Need for authorised pitches from families on unauthorised developments.
Whether the closure of any existing sites is planned.
Movement between areas.
Additional Supply, 2013–2018

There is no evidence of potential supply for plots in the borough.
61
Table 10.2: Summary of Travelling Showpeople accommodation and pitch need (2013-2028)
Element of supply and need
Accommodation Need/Supply
Total (households)
Current residential supply
1
Socially rented plots
0
2
Private authorised plots
12
3
Total authorised plots
12
Residential plot need 2013-2018
4
End of temporary planning permissions
0
5
Concealed households
0
6
New household formation
2
7
Unauthorised developments
0
8
Closure of sites
0
9
Movement between areas
0
10
Residential plot need (2013–2018)
1
11
Supply (2013-2018)
0
12
Residential plot need (2013-2018)
1
13
Residential plot need (2018–2023)
1
14
Residential plot need (2023–2028)
1
15
Total Residential plot need (2013–2028)
3
Explanation of the Need Requirement Elements
Current Residential Supply
10.31 Row 1: The number of plots on socially rented yards provided by local authority
information. This was reported to be nil.
10.32 Row 2: The estimated number of households resident on private authorised plots on
the yard provided by an assessment of local authority information. This was reported
to be 12.
10.33 Row 3: The total number of authorised plots within the study area.
Residential Plot Need 2013–2018
10.34 Row 4: The number of pitches which have temporary planning permission due to
expire within the assessment period. This was reported to be nil.
10.35 Row 5: The number of concealed households occupying existing accommodation who
require independent accommodation within the borough. This was reported to be nil.
62
10.36 Row 6: This is the number of plots required from new household formation.
Plot requirement from new households forming
Finding: Drawing upon the information contained within Chapter 9, responses to
the survey suggested that there were no households who required their own
separate plot-based accommodation in the next five years.
Assumptions:
•
Respondents to the survey tended to be retired Showpeople who were on
the yard at the time of the fieldwork. Active households were away carrying
out their economic activities at this time. As such we believe we were
unable to consult with households which contained growing families.
•
Consultation with the local section of the Showmen’s Guild indicates that
there is unmet need in Kent. A representative of the Guild cited evidence
from the previous assessment of need and the regional planning process
that was undertaken but not completed.
•
A modelled household formation rate should be used in order to plan for
potential growth from within the site over the initial five year period.
Following similar assessments of accommodation need for Travelling
Showpeople this growth rate is 2% per annum compound.22
Calculation:
On a base of 12 plots 2% household growth over the five year period = one plot
10.37 Row 7: This is the level of need arising from current unauthorised developments. This
was reported to be nil.
10.38 Row 8: This is the level of need arising from current unauthorised encampments. This
was reported to be nil.
10.39 Row 9: This is the level of movement of households between areas. The survey found
some evidence to suggest that there was a requirement for accommodation outside
of the borough from households currently living in the area. However, it is not clear
whether this is a need specifically for Dartford or for more accommodation for
Travelling Showpeople who reside or require sustainable accommodation in Kent.
This issue should be explored in collaboration with other Kent authorities and the
Showmen’s Guild in greater depth in order to ascertain the wider sub-regional
shortfall.
10.40 Row 10: This is the total gross residential need for plots arising in the district
between 2013-2018.
Although household growth rates of 3% a year are typically used for Gypsies and Travellers, 2% has been used
here to account for the smaller families of Travelling Showpeople in comparison to Gypsies and Travellers. This was
a growth figure used in the North West RSS Partial Review
22
63
10.41 Row 11: This is the level of plot supply over the 2013-2018 period. This is assumed to
be nil.
10.42 Row 12: The total net requirement for plots in the district over the period 2013–
2018.
10.43 Row 13: The total requirement for plots in the district over the period 2018-2023.
10.44 Row 14: The total requirement for plots in the district over the period 2023-2028.
10.45 Row 15: The total overall requirement for plots in the district over the period 20132028.
In Summary
10.46 Analysis has shown there to be a need for three plots for Travelling Showpeople over
the assessment period derived from household growth. It should be noted that it
may be possible to accommodate this growth within the current site as it is thought
that site capacity is not fully utilised. Discussions should be undertaken with the
residents to assist in the long-term planning for accommodation for Travelling
Showpeople.
64
11.
An Assessment of Need for Transit Accommodation
11.1
Although to a certain extent nomadism and travelling are currently restricted by a
lack of sites nationally, this remains an important feature of Gypsy and Traveller
identity and way of life, even if only to visit fairs or visit family. Some Gypsies and
Travellers are still highly mobile without a permanent base, and others travel for
significant parts of the year from a winter base. More Gypsies and Travellers might
travel if it were possible to find places to stop without the threat of constant eviction.
Nationally the worst living conditions are commonly experienced by Gypsies and
Travellers living on unauthorised encampments who do not have easy access to
water or toilet facilities and have difficulties in accessing education and health
services.
Need for Transit Sites and Stopping Places
11.2
National policy is clear that there should be provision in order for Gypsies and
Travellers who choose to travel, to do so without resorting to stopping illegally or
inappropriately.
11.3
Information provided by Dartford Borough Council and other stakeholders suggests
that the study area experiences a low level of unauthorised camping each year. Most
of these encampments, when they do occur, are thought to require transit solutions.
The presence of unauthorised encampments does indicate an unmet need for transit
provision, albeit quite low. However, determining the need for transit pitches is
incredibly complex. A common method used by local authorities has been to base the
level of need on the average size of the unauthorised encampments that were
occurring in their area. However, as highlighted in Chapter 5, there was limited data
available on the number and size of encampments that had occurred over the last
few years. Consistent data would therefore be required in order to assess this issue.
11.4
It should also be noted that the private sites in the area may also be servicing transit
need in the area. The number of households on these sites who are currently seen as
occupying ‘unauthorised pitches’ on these sites may, in some small part, be visitors
to the area. It is not entirely clear however how many households this may include.
11.5
While it is difficult to determine transit need, this assessment supports the approach
of creating a network of transit facilities across the wider region to accommodate
short-term accommodation requirements. Such an approach is discussed in a
regional study on transit need produced in 2009.23
11.6
Drawing together all this information there is little evidence for the provision of
formal separate transit sites. A number of alternative options could be explored, such
as incorporating transit provision into existing residential sites and new residential
site developments. Similarly, although transit need could be met by the creation of
‘hard’ purpose-made pitches/sites, it is also recommended that consideration is given
to the need for the development of such ‘hard’ pitches along with the possibility of
23
Niner, P. (2009) South East England Regional Gypsy and Traveller Transit Study, Final Report, Birmingham:
University of Birmingham, October 2009.
65
‘soft’ transit pitches (i.e. designated stopping places). Such ‘softer’ options would
provide Gypsies and Travellers with somewhere authorised and more secure to stop
with minimal environmental impact. Such stopping places are often favoured by
Gypsy and Traveller households.
11.7
It is our conclusion that this remains an element of need and should be catered for by
the provision of an appropriate solution. Not addressing this need, however
informally, is likely to lead to a continuation of unauthorised camping and/or
overcrowded authorised sites.
66
Appendix 1: The Assessment Methodology
Practice guidance for local authorities undertaking Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation
Assessments (GTAAs) was released by the ODPM (now CLG) in February 2006, with final
guidance made available in October 2007. Specialised guidance and assessments were felt
to be required, as many local authority housing needs assessments had previously failed to
assess or identify the needs of Gypsies and Travellers. The guidance explains why
assessments are needed, how authorities might go about conducting an assessment and
issues to consider. The guidance is non-prescriptive in terms of methods, but suggests that
Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessments integrate a wide variety of evidence, such
as existing secondary information, views of selected stakeholders and the views of Gypsies,
Travellers and Travelling Showpeople living within the study area.
The Planning Policy for Traveller Sites does not bind local authorities to producing specific
GTAAs but it does state that robust evidence should be collected. In the absence of
alternative methodologies for assessing the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers,
a modified survey, of the sort used in the first round of GTAAs, has been adopted. The
results of this survey form a key component of the evidence base for the Local Authority.
This assessment was undertaken in three distinct stages. Each of these stages is described in
more detail below.

Stage One: Collation and Review of Existing Secondary Information.

Stage Two: Consultation with Key Stakeholders.

Stage Three: Survey with Gypsies and Travellers across Dartford.
Stage One: Collation and Review of Existing Secondary Information
This first stage comprised a review of the available literature and secondary sources. This
provided an historical, social and political overview to the situation of Gypsies and Travellers
in the study area. More specifically, this included the collection, review and synthesis of:





The bi-annual count of Gypsy and Traveller Caravans.
Census 2011 data.
Records and data maintained and provided by the local authority.
The original North Kent GTAA produced by DCA research in 2006.
Review of previous GTAAs produced as evidence for the Partial Review of the
South East Plan in 2009.
Stage Two: Consultation with Key Stakeholders
The analysis and review of existing information was supported by engagement and
consultation with a small number of key stakeholders. This consultation took the form of
telephone interviews and/or email discussions, which were tailored to the role of the
individual. The aim of these interviews was to provide clarification on issues arising from
existing data and to provide an understanding of the context of current provision.
Consultation was carried out with officers representing Dartford Borough Council, Kent
67
County Council Gypsy and Traveller Unit, The Showmen’s Guild and a representative from
the Travelling Showpeople community.
Stage Three: Survey with Gypsies and Travellers across Dartford
One of the most important aspects of the assessment was consulting with local Gypsies and
Travellers. The fieldwork took place over a two-week period during May 2013. These
consultations took the form of face-to-face interviews in order to gather information about
their characteristics, experiences, accommodation and related needs and aspirations. The
survey with Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople is discussed below under three
sections: Sampling Strategy and Response Rates, Questionnaire Design, Fieldwork and
Interviewers.
Sampling Strategy and Response Rates
Sampling Gypsy and Traveller households for Accommodation Assessments is always
problematic given the absence of accurate information concerning the size and location of
the Travelling communities. As such, the sampling technique for the assessment was
purposive rather than purely random. The sampling strategy for the assessment differed
depending upon the particular accommodation type currently inhabited by Gypsies and
Travellers.24

Information provided by the Council stated that there were 20 sites within Dartford.
The Community Interviewers were asked to interview as many separate households
as possible within the fieldwork timescale, with a target of 50% of current
households. A response rate of 46% was achieved among site-based respondents.
This reflects 60% of the sites in the area. This was lower than anticipated as some
sites were found to be vacant by the interviewers and many households on sites did
not want to take part in the survey.

For households on unauthorised encampments, officers within Dartford Borough
Council were asked to inform the fieldwork team when and where encampments
occurred during the two-week fieldwork period. There were no unauthorised
encampments during the fieldwork period.

As the population of Gypsies and Travellers in bricks and mortar housing is relatively
hidden from official records, there was no sample frame from which to identify
people. Therefore, in order to engage with housed Gypsies and Travellers the
fieldwork team relied on three main methods:
o Contacts of Gypsies and Travellers who had already been interviewed on sitebased accommodation.
o Snowball sampling where one respondent in housing recommended engaging
with similar households.
o The existing contacts/networks of the Gypsy and Traveller Community
Interviewers on the fieldwork team.
24
Such a sampling strategy coupled with the lack of knowledge about the overall size of the Gypsy and
Traveller population means that discussing statistical issues, such as sampling error and confidence intervals,
would be misleading.
68
A total of 58 households were involved in the assessment.
In terms of the gender split between interviewees, 45 women (78%) and 13 men (22%) were
interviewed. This reflects a commonly achieved gender distribution in GTAAs.
On a base population of 127 households in Dartford, we consulted with 58 resident
households. This represents 46% of the estimated resident Gypsy and Traveller community
across Dartford. We believe that the sample is as representative as can be reasonably
expected, given the timescale available for the assessment. We have no reason to believe
that the households included in the survey are untypical from the total population in the
area. Overall, we believe that the findings for the assessment are based on reliable
information from accommodation types within the study area.
Questionnaire Design
All household interviews used a structured questionnaire, upon which questions were
routed according to the appropriate accommodation type. Questions were a mixture of tickbox answers and open-ended questions. This mixed approach enabled us to gather
quantifiable information, but also allowed for contextualisation and qualification by the
more narrative responses. The survey contained the following sections:

Current accommodation.

Local and historic connection.

Travelling.

Previous housing experiences.

Household details.

Health services.

Future accommodation.
The questionnaire used in the assessment is available in Appendix 4.
Fieldwork and Interviewers
Of crucial importance in engaging as effectively as possible with the Gypsy and Traveller
population, was the involvement of Gypsy and Traveller Community Interviewers. In total,
two members of the Gypsy and Traveller community were involved in the assessment as
Community Interviewers. These interviewers have worked with SHUSU on a number of
GTAAs. They are of Romany Gypsy background and live outside the study area.
Each interviewer was briefed on the assessment and the questionnaire prior to commencing
fieldwork, and provided with support from the core study team members during their
interviewing activity. Each questionnaire, which was returned to us, was subject to quality
control. By taking this approach we found we were able to access a range of people that
would not otherwise have been included in the assessment, such as ‘hidden’ members of
the community (e.g. people living in bricks and mortar housing), and those people who were
uncomfortable talking to non-Travellers. Working with Community Interviewers was also the
69
most effective method given the timescale of the assessment (i.e. only two weeks for
completion of the survey).
70
Appendix 2:
Private Sites and Unauthorised Developments in Dartford
Table A2.1. Private sites with permanent planning permission
Column A
Site name
Number of
pitches with
planning
consent
Column B
Number of
pitches
immune from
enforcement
action
Knoxfield Plot 1
2
Knoxfield Plot 2
2
Knoxfield Plot 3
1
Knoxfield plot, 4, 5 and 6 6*
Knoxfield Plot 7
1
Fairview
1
1
Castle Farm
2
6
Cob Tree Farm
1
Hillside
9
Tennis Courts
4
Saulekalns
4
Nurstead Lane
1
Rear of 3 and 4
2
Woodside Cottages
Brakefield Road
1
Total
37
7
* Has reportedly been vacant for two years
Column C
Column D
Estimated
number of
unauthorised
pitches
Estimated total
number of
pitches/households
accommodated
1
2
2
1
6
1
2
8
1
9
4
4
2
2
1
1
45
Notes:




Sites are often granted planning permission based on the number of caravans. In order to
convert this to meaningful units of pitches within this assessment a caravan to pitch ratio of
1.4 has been used (based on the findings from the survey). These are shown in Column A of
Table A2.1.
Where pitches on sites have become immune from enforcement actions as a result of longterm use these are shown in Column B of Table A2.1.
Column C indicates sites where there are unauthorised pitches present.
Column D indicates the total number of households/pitches accommodated on the site.
Table A2.2. Travelling Showpeople
Travelling Showpeople
Forest Fairground Winter Quarters 37
Pitches/Households
12 pitches
71
Appendix 3:
Demographics of the Local Gypsy and Traveller Population
This section aims to provide some information on the demographics of the respondents
involved in this accommodation assessment within Dartford.
Demographic and Household Characteristics
Characteristics of Gypsy and Traveller communities are often hidden or not widely known.
Traveller Accommodation Assessments present an ideal opportunity to get to know more
about the community at large, particularly in terms of living circumstances, age, Gypsy and
Traveller groups and household composition. The following aims to provide some
information about the Gypsy and Traveller households in the sample.
Age of Interviewees
The age profile of the sample can be seen from Table A3.1. The 25–39 and 60-74 age groups
were most consulted during the assessment, forming 47% and 21% of the total sample
respectively. There was greater variation in age, of the sample interviewed, on the private
sites with planning permission per se.
Table A3.1: Age of interviewees
Age group
17–24
25–39
40–49
50–59
60–74
75–84
85+
Total
Socially
rented sites
No.
%
3
38%
2
25%
3
38%
8
Unauthorised
developments
No.
%
1
50%
1
50%
2
Private sites
(perm)
No.
%
2
11%
8
44%
2
11%
2
11%
4
22%
18
Travelling
Showpeople
No.
%
1
20%
1
20%
1
20%
2
40%
5
Bricks &
mortar
No.
%
14
56%
6
24%
2
8%
3
12%
25
All tenures
No.
3
27
9
7
12
58
Household Size
In total, the survey sample accounts for 58 members of the Gypsy and Traveller community
in Dartford: Eight on socially rented sites; 18 on private sites with permanent planning
permission, two on unauthorised developments, five on Travelling Showpeople sites and 25
in bricks and mortar accommodation. The average household size for the sample as a whole
was 3.4. This is larger than the household size of the non-Traveller population, which is
reported as 2.4 in the 2011 Census. There appeared to be a difference in household size
between the different accommodation types; for example, the average household size for
those in bricks and mortar was four, compared to three on private sites.
Table A3.2 below shows the number of children of different age cohorts across the sample.
72
%
5%
47%
16%
12%
21%
-
Table A3.2: Number of children in households by accommodation type
Age group
Socially
rented sites
No.
Unauthorised
developments
No.
Private sites
(perm)
No.
Travelling
Showpeople
No.
Bricks &
mortar
No.
2
5
-
1
1
-
7
10
9
1
7
19
18
Travelling
Showpeople
No.
%
Bricks &
mortar
No.
%
0-5
6 - 10
11 - 16
All tenures
No.
17
35
28
Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Groups
The largest single group was Romany/Gypsy (English) (78%).
Table A3.3: Interviewees by Gypsy and Traveller group
Gypsy and
Traveller groups
Romany/Gypsy
(English)
Scottish Traveller
Irish Traveller
Travelling
Showman
Socially
rented sites
No.
%
Unauthorised
developments
No.
%
Private sites
(perm)
No.
%
All tenures
No.
%
8
100%
2
100%
11
61%
-
-
24
96%
45
78%
-
-
-
-
1
3
6%
33%
-
-
1
4%
1
7
2%
12%
-
-
-
-
-
5
100%
-
-
5
9%
73
Appendix 4: Dartford Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Study
Questionnaire
Introduction
My name is [ ] and I work for the University of Salford [show ID badge]. We have been asked by
Dartford Council to assess the accommodation needs of Gypsies, Travellers and Showpeople in
this area. We’re looking to speak with a number of people staying in the local area, in houses, on
council sites, on private sites and on the roadside, to get a range of views. The views that we
collect may help plan and improve accommodation, sites, planning and other services in the
future.
We are completely independent of any local council or the government. Would you be willing to
talk to me? If you agree it will probably take about 25 minutes. I have a number of questions I
would like to ask but I would like to hear about anything else you feel is relevant. I will be writing
down your answers, but the interview will be confidential. Therefore no one will be identified in
any report that we write, and there is no way that anyone will be able to trace any particular
answer back to you.
Would you be willing to talk to me? If it’s not a good time I could arrange to come back later if that
suits you better.
CHECK! Have you already been interviewed for this survey before? Do you have one of these
(show pink sheet)?
Address/Site:
Date of Interview:
Interviewer name:

If, during the interview a question comes up that you don’t want to answer just say so
and I’ll move on
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SECTION A: CURRENT ACCOMMODATION

On private sites, please ask the owner/manager of the site which pitches on the site are
authorised and which pitches are unauthorised.
QA1. What type of accommodation is your pitch? (Please tick  one box only)
Unauthorised encampment
1
Go to QA6
Unauthorised development (own land no planning)
2
Go to QA5
Residential Council/site/yard
3
Go to QA5
Residential Private site/yard with permanent planning permission
4
Go to QA4
Residential Private site/yard with temporary planning permission
5
Go to QA5
Site based but not sure what planning permission we have
6
Go to QA5
Bricks & Mortar (rented from the local authority or social landlord)
7
Go to QA2
Bricks & Mortar (rented from a private landlord)
8
Go to QA2
Bricks & Mortar (owner occupier)
9
Go to QA2
Other (please specify below)
10
Go to QA5
QA2. How many bedrooms do you have here? (Please tick  one box only)
One
1
Go to QA3
Two
2
Go to QA3
Three
3
Go to QA3
Four or more
4
Go to QA3
QA3. How would you rate your experience of living in a house? (Please tick  one box only)
Very good
1
Go to QA7
Good
2
Go to QA7
Neither good nor poor
3
Go to QA7
Poor
4
Go to QA7
Very poor
5
Go to QA7
Don’t know
6
Go to QA7
QA4. Is the permission ‘personal’ i.e. for you and your family only? (Please tick  one box only)
Yes
1
Go to QA5
No
2
Go to QA5
Don’t know
3
Go to QA5
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QA5. Do you? (Please tick  one box only)
Own your plot/pitch
1
Go to QA6
Rent your plot/pitch
2
Go to QA6
Other (please specify below)
3
Go to QA6
Don’t know
4
Go to QA6
QA6. Do you? (Please tick  one box only)
Own your trailer/chalets/units
1
Rent your trailer/chalets/units
2
Other (please specify below)
3
Don’t know
4
QA7. How many trailers/chalets/units…….. (Please write in spaces provided - please note that
this does not refer to any utility block that they may have)
a.
Do you have in total?
b.
Are used just as sleeping spaces?
c.
Are used just as living spaces (non-sleeping)?
d.
e.
Are used as both sleeping and living spaces?
Are used mainly for storage/occasional use?
f.
Are used just for travelling purposes?
QA8. Would you say you have enough space for your household at its current size in this home /
pitch? (Please tick  one box only)
(Interviewer: this relates not just to bedrooms but all of the dwelling / pitch)
Yes
1
Go to QA11
No
2
Go to QA9
Don’t know
3
Go to QA9
QA9. Do you feel that you need?
(Please tick  all that apply)
1.
A larger site/yard
2.
A larger pitch/plot
3.
More caravans/trailers/units
4.
Larger caravans/trailers/units
5.
More bedrooms or living space
6.
Other (please specify below)
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Q10.
Why do you feel you need this? (write reasons in below)
QA11. What was the main reason for moving to this site/encampment/house/yard?
(Please tick  one box only)
Moved there with parents/family (if known, detail family/parents reasons for moving)
1
Born/raised there (if known, detail family/parents reasons for moving)
2
Own health/family member or other dependent health reasons (please explain below)
3
To be near family/friends
4
To look after a family member / dependent in old age
5
Evicted from last accommodation
6
Lack of sites
7
Overcrowded in previous accommodation
8
For children’s schooling/education
9
Work available in the area
10
Land/pitch was available to buy
11
There was a vacancy
12
Convenient for working pattern (Showpeople only)
13
Holiday
14
Family event
15
Other (please specify below)
16
INTERVIEWER: GO TO SECTION B IF INTERVIEWING SOMEONE ON AN UNAUTHORISED
ENCAMPMENT/ROADSIDE
QA12. Do other Gypsies/Travellers/Showpeople (e.g. friends/family etc.) come to stay with you on
a short-term/transit basis? (Please tick  one box only)
Yes
1
Go to QA13
No
2
Go to QA15
Don’t know
3
Go to QA15
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Dartford GTAA – needs assessment questionnaire
QA13. Where do they stay? (Interviewer: this is to explore how much transit need is being taken
care of informally)
With me in my trailer/chalet/house
1
They bring a trailer and stay on my pitch/driveway
2
They bring a trailer and stay elsewhere on this site (e.g. on a transit pitch)
3
They stay on the roadside near this site/house
4
Other (please specify below)
5
QA14. Can you briefly describe who comes to stay, how often they come and how long they stay
(i.e. daughter, her husband and dependent children, twice a year for around 2 weeks each
time)?
QA15. Is hosting visitors that are your family and friends here? (Please tick  one box only)
Not a problem for you
1
A problem (please specify below)
2
Other (please specify below)
3
QA16. Is hosting visitors that are not your family and friends here? (Please tick  one box only)
Not a problem for you
1
A problem (please specify below)
2
Other (please specify below)
3
QA17. Specific question for Showpeople What equipment do you have at present? (Please list
main items and number of pieces of equipment as well as issues regarding the storage of
them)
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SECTION B: LOCAL AND HISTORIC CONNECTION
QB1.
Are there particular reasons for staying in this area?
(Interviewer:
a.
b.
Tick all the reasons that apply
From the reasons they have given, ask them to choose the
most important)
a: Tick  all
that apply
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
QB2.
b: Tick most
important
reason
(one only)
Born/raised here
Have close family members living in area
Have extended family members living in area
Own/family/dependent health
Look after a family member/dependent in old age
Children’s schooling/education
Work available in the area
Convenient for working pattern (Showpeople)
Availability of site(s)/accommodation
Lack of sites
Holiday
Family or community event
Only place I could find
Other (please specify below)
How long have you lived in this general area? (Interviewer: ideally we are looking at the
local authority area) (Please tick  one box only)
Less than 1 month
1
Between 1 and 6 months
2
6 months or more but less than 12
3
1 years or more but less than 3
4
3 years or more but less than 5
5
5 years or more but less than 10
6
10 years or more
7
Don’t know
8
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QB3.
How long have you been here on this site/encampment/house/yard?
(Please tick  one box only)
Up to 1 week
1
Go to QB4
2-4 weeks
2
Go to QB4
More than 1 month but less than 3 months
3
Go to QB4
3 months or more but less than 6 months
4
Go to QB4
6 months or more but less than 12 months
5
Go to QB4
1 years or more but less than 3 years
6
Go to QB4
3 years or more but less than 5 years
7
Go to QB4
5 years or more but less than 10 years
8
Go to QB4
10 years or more
9
Go to QB5
Don’t know
10
Go to QB4
QB4. If resided for less than 10 years at the site/encampment/house/yard please can you tell me
where you have lived since late 2002?
Dates (from – to)
starting with 2002
onwards
Nearest town
Local authority (if
known)
Site type (roadside,
UD, LA site, private
site)
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Dartford GTAA – needs assessment questionnaire
QB5.
Out of 52 weeks of the year how many weeks do you usually live in this area? (Interviewer:
we are looking at the local authority area) (Please tick  one box only)
Between 1 and 10 weeks
1
Go to QB6
Between 11 and 20 weeks
2
Go to QB6
Between 21 and 30 weeks
3
Go to QB6
Between 31 and 40 weeks
4
Go to QB6
Between 41 and 51 weeks
5
Go to QB6
52/Never leave
6
Go to QB7
Don’t know
7
Go to QB6
This is the first time I/we have been in this area
8
Go to QB6
QB6.
Where do you usually go for the other part of the year? (i.e. travel for x number of weeks
during summer) (Interviewer note: explore the general areas they go and why)
QB7.
Do you have a base somewhere else? (Please tick  one box only)
QB8.
Yes
1
Go to QB8
No
2
Go to SECTION C
Don’t know
3
Go to SECTION C
If YES, where is it and what type of base?
a:
Where is it? (i.e. town/local authority)
b:
What type of accommodation is it?
c:
Unauthorised development (own land no planning)
1
Residential Council/ site/yard
2
Residential Private site/yard with permanent planning permission
3
Residential Private site/yard with temporary planning permission
4
Bricks & Mortar (rented from the local authority or social landlord)
5
Bricks & Mortar (rented from a private landlord)
6
Bricks & Mortar (owner occupier)
7
Other (please specify below)
8
Who owns/rents it? (e.g. themselves, a friend, parent, etc.)
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QB9. Which of the following statements most apply to how you use this base?
I/We visit this area every now and then
1
I/We use it as a winter base
2
I/We use it as a summer base
3
I/We are based there for part of the year
4
It’s my/our permanent accommodation where we travel from
5
Other (please specify below)
6
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Dartford GTAA – needs assessment questionnaire
SECTION C: TRAVELLING
QC1.
QC2.
How often do you travel or move at present? (Travelling whilst living in a caravan or
trailer) (Please tick  the statement that most closely resembles your travelling
patterns)
I/we travel or move every day or so
1
Go to QC4
I we travel or move every week or so
2
Go to QC4
I/we travel or move every month or so
3
Go to QC4
I/ we travel or move a few times a year
4
Go to QC4
I/we travel or move once a year only
5
Go to QC4
I/we never travel
6
Go to QC2
If NEVER, is this because of any of the following reasons? (Please tick  all that apply)
Yes
No
Your, a family member or a dependents health
Your, a family member or a dependents educational needs
Your, a family member or a dependents older age
Other (please specify below)
QC3.
If NEVER, When did you last travel? (Interviewer: ascertain number of months/years ago)
INTERVIEWER: IF NEVER TRAVEL, GO TO SECTION D
QC4. Which places do you like to go? - List 3 main areas (Note: Travelling Showpeople should
indicate the 3 main areas their fairs/events take place)
1.
(nearest town:
2.
(nearest town:
3.
(nearest town:
QC5.
How many trailers/caravans do you normally travel with?
(Interviewer: insert 0 if none)
QC6.
How many pieces of equipment do you normally travel with?
(Interviewer: insert 0 if none)
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Dartford GTAA – needs assessment questionnaire
QC7.
QC8.
Have you travelled in the last 12 months?
Yes
1
Go to QC8
No
2
Go to SECTION D
Don’t know
3
Go to SECTION D
In the last 12 months, did you travel for any of the following reasons?
(Interviewer:
a.
b.
Tick all the reasons that apply
From the reasons they have given, choose one that was most
important)
a: Tick  all
that apply
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
QC9.
b: The main
reason
(one only)
Work opportunities
A holiday
Attend a fair (not working at fair)
To visit relatives
To attend family events
To attend community events
Other (please specify below)
In the last 12 months have you stayed at any of the following?
(Please tick  all that apply)
Yes
Roadside (countryside)
2
Roadside (town/city)
3
Caravan park (i.e. holiday park/campsite)
4
With family/relatives on private sites
5
With family/relatives on council/public sites
6
Public or private transit sites
7
Farmer’s fields
8
Fair sites
9
Designated fairground land for Showpeople
10 Other Showpeople yards
11 Other (please specify below)
1
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Dartford GTAA – needs assessment questionnaire
SECTION D: PREVIOUS HOUSING EXPERIENCES
QD1. What type of accommodation did you live in/on immediately before you came here?
(Please tick  one box only)
Unauthorised encampment
1
Go to QD3
Unauthorised development (own land no planning)
2
Go to QD3
Residential Council/ site/yard
3
Go to QD3
Residential Private site/yard with permanent planning permission
4
Go to QD2
Residential Private site/yard with temporary planning permission
5
Go to QD2
Transit site
6
Go to QD2
Bricks & Mortar (rented from the local authority or social landlord)
7
Go to QD3
Bricks & Mortar (rented from a private landlord)
8
Go to QD3
Bricks & Mortar (owner occupier)
9
Go to QD3
Been here all my adult life
10
Go to SECTION E
Other (please specify below)
11
Go to QD2
QD2. Was your pitch on this site: (Please tick  one box only)
An authorised pitch
1
An unauthorised pitch
2
Other (please specify below)
3
Don’t know
4
QD3. Where was this? (i.e. which town/local authority)
Dartford GTAA – Need assessment survey
86
QD4. What was the main reason for leaving there? (Please tick  one box only)
To be near family/friends
1
Own health/family member or other dependent health reasons
2
Evicted
3
For children’s schooling/education
4
Harassment
5
Land/pitch was available to buy here
6
There was a vacancy here
7
Overcrowded conditions
8
Fears over personal safety
9
Site closure
10
Planning problems
11
Wanted independence
12
Work reasons
13
To travel
14
Site/accommodation conditions
15
Get married/live with partner
16
No particular reason
17
Other (please specify below)
18
QD5. Have you ever lived in a house? (Interviewer – if currently in a house this question asks
about previous housing) (Please tick  one box only)
Yes
1
Go to QD6
No
2
Go to SECTION E
Don’t know
3
Go to SECTION E
QD6. What type of house? (Please tick  one box only)
Council rented
1
Housing Association/RSL rented
2
Private rented
3
Privately owned
4
Other (please specify below)
5
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QD7. Where was it? (i.e. which town/local authority)
QD8. What was the main reason for moving to that house? (Please tick  one box only)
Moved there with parents/family (if known, detail family/parents reasons for moving)
1
Born/raised there (if known, detail family/parents reasons for moving)
2
Own health/family member or other dependent health reasons (please explain below)
3
To be near family/friends
4
To look after a family member / dependent in old age
5
Evicted from last site
6
Lack of sites
7
For children’s schooling/education
8
Work available in the area
9
House was available to buy
10
House was available to rent
11
Convenient for working pattern (Showpeople)
12
Other (please specify below)
13
QD9. How would you rate your experience of living in a house? (Please tick  one box only)
Very good
1
Good
2
Neither good nor poor
3
Poor
4
Very poor
5
Don’t know
6
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88
QD10. What was the main reason for leaving the house? (Please tick  one box only)
To be near family/friends
1
Own health/family member or other dependent health reasons
2
Evicted
3
For children’s schooling/education
4
Harassment
5
Land/pitch was available to buy here
6
There was a vacancy here
7
Overcrowded conditions
8
Fears over personal safety
9
Wanted independence
10
Work reasons
11
To travel
12
Site/accommodation conditions
13
Get married/live with partner
14
No particular reason
15
Other (please specify below)
16
Dartford GTAA – Need assessment survey
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SECTION E: HOUSEHOLD DETAILS
QE1.
Thinking about the people you live with, can you tell me their ages, whether they are male
or female, their marital status and their relationship to you? (Interviewer: Please note that
the person you interview is always number 1. To avoid confusion, get all information for
one household member, then move on to next household member)
HOUSEHOLD MEMBER
AGE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
0 – 5 years
6 – 10 years
11 – 16 years
17 – 24 years
25 – 39 years
40 – 49 years
50 – 59 years
60 – 74 years
75 – 84 years
85 years +
GENDER
Male
Female
MARITAL STATUS
Married
Single
Living together
Widowed
Separated
Divorced
RELATIONSHIP
Partner
Son or daughter
Sister/brother
Uncle/aunt
Cousin
Grandparent
Grandchild
Other
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OFFICE USE ONLY
QE2.
How many people are there in the household?
QE3.
How many adults are there in the household aged 60 or over?
QE4.
How many children are there in the household aged:
None
0–5
6 – 10
11 – 16
QE5.
QE6.
How do you think of yourself? (Please tick  one box only)
Romany/Gypsy (English)
1
Welsh Gypsy/Traveller
2
Scottish Gypsy/ Traveller
3
Irish Traveller
4
New Traveller
5
Traveller (not specified)
6
Showmen/Circus person
7
Roma
8
Bargee/Boat dweller
9
Other (please specify below)
10
Don’t know
11
Refused
12
How many members of your family over the age of 16 are: (Please write the number of
people in the spaces below and ensure no double counting of individuals. If people fall
into multiple categories explain situation in ‘other’)
1. Self employed
Go to QE7
2. Employed
Go to QE7
3. Both employed and self-employed
Go to QE7
4. Retired
Go to QE10
5. Unemployed but looking for work
Go to QE7
6. Not working and not looking for work
th
Go to QE7
7. In further education (e.g. college/6 form)
Go to QE7
8. In higher education (e.g. University)
Go to QE7
9. Full time homemaker
Go to QE10
10. Other (please explain)
Go to QE7
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QE7.
Where do you/your family work? (Please tick  all that apply)
Within Dartford
(note: show map of authority and include place below)
1
Outside Dartford, but within nearby/neighbouring authority:
(note: please select one of the following)
Gravesham District
Sevenoaks District
Tonbridge and Malling District
Medway
Thurrock (Essex)
QE8.
QE9.
1
2
3
4
5
London Borough of Bromley
6
Bexley
7
Other parts of the UK (please specify below)
8
Abroad
9
Do you have any site/space needs relating to your work now or in the near future?
(Please tick  all that apply)
Yes - now
1
Go to QE9
Yes – in the future
2
Go to QE9
No
3
Go to QE10
Don’t know
4
Go to QE10
If YES, what needs?
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QE10. Have you/members of your family ever experienced any problems accessing employment?
(Note: includes self employment) (Please tick  one box only)
Yes
1
Go to QE11
No
2
Go to SECTION F
Don’t know
3
Go to SECTION F
QE11. If YES, what problems?
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SECTION F: PUBLIC SERVICES AND ISSUES
I’d like to talk to you a little bit about what you think of the local services.
QF1.
Do you or your family feel that you have sufficient access to the following services?
Have access
Service
Yes
No
Not relevant
GP/health centre
Health visitor
Maternity care
A&E
Dentist
Education/local schools services
Training services
Careers advice
Access to work services
QF2.
QF3.
Is there anything that stops you from accessing any of the above?
(Please tick  one box only)
Yes
1
Go to QF3
No
2
Go to Section G
Don’t know
3
Go to Section G
If YES, what? (Interviewer: probe for issues such as transport, lack of awareness, etc)
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SECTION G: FUTURE ACCOMMODATION
QG1. Thinking about you and your household, what are the top three ways of residential living
that best suit your needs?
Tick  3 of the
following
Bricks and Mortar – socially rent
Bricks and Mortar – privately rent
Bricks and Mortar – own it/have a mortgage
Site - socially rent
Site – rent on a private site
Site – owned by you
Roadside
Official short stay sites
Caravan/chalet parks – general use
QG2. Thinking about your current accommodation which of the following applies to your whole
household?
(Please tick  one box only)
I need to move immediately
1
Go to QG3
I need to move in the next 12 months
2
Go to QG3
I need to move in the next 1 – 2 years
3
Go to QG3
I need to move in the next 2 – 5 years
4
Go to QG3
I need to move in the next 5 – 10 years
5
Go to QG3
I am going to stay in this accommodation indefinitely
6
Go to QG9
I have no plans to move
7
Go to QG9
Other (please describe below)
8
Go to QG3
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QG3. Why does your whole household need to move?
(Interviewer:
a.
Tick all the reasons that apply
b.
From the reasons they have given, ask them to choose one
that was most important)
a: Yes
(Tick  all
that apply)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
b: The most
important reason
(Tick  one only)
Own health/family member or other dependent health reasons
For children’s schooling/education
To look after a family member / dependent in old age
To be nearer to family/friends
Overcrowded living conditions
Overcrowded on site
To move to a vacant pitch on a preferred site
Going to buy own site/pitch
Being moved on (as encamped)
Eviction
Harassment
Fears over personal safety
Site closure
No planning permission
Want independence
Work reasons
To travel
Site/accommodation conditions
Get married/live with partner
No particular reason
Other (please specify below)
QG4. Do you intend to stay in this area? (Interviewer: the local authority area)
(Please tick  one box only)
Yes
1
No
2
Don’t know
3
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Dartford GTAA – needs assessment questionnaire
QG5. What accommodation are you looking for?
(Interviewer:
a.
Tick all types that apply
b.
From types they have given, ask them to choose one main
preference)
a: Tick  all
that apply
1
b: Main
preference
(Tick  one
only)
Claywood lane
Council site (permanent) outside DARTFORD
3
Council site (transit) outside DARTFORD
4
Roadside/informal stopping place
5
Own site with planning permission
6
Private site owned by someone else
7
Piece of land to buy (without planning permission)
8
I already own a piece of land
9
Bricks and mortar/another house
10 Other (please specify below)
2
QG6. Where do you need to move to? (Please tick  one box only)
Within Dartford
(note: show map of authority and include place below)
1
Outside Dartford, but within nearby/neighbouring authority:
(note: please select one of the following)
Gravesham District
Sevenoaks District
Tonbridge and Malling District
Medway
Thurrock (Essex)
1
2
3
4
5
London Borough of Bromley
6
Bexley
7
Other parts of the UK (please specify below)
14
Abroad
15
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Dartford GTAA – needs assessment questionnaire
QG7. Why this place?
(Interviewer:
a.
b.
Tick all the reasons that apply
From the reasons they have given, ask them to choose one
that was most important)
a: Tick  all
that apply
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
b: The most
important
reason (Tick 
one only)
Born/raised there
Have close family members living in area
Have extended family members living in area
Own/family/dependent health
Look after a family member/dependent in old age
Children’s schooling/education
Work available in the area
Convenient for working pattern (Showpeople)
Availability of site(s)/accommodation
Lack of sites
Holiday
Family or community event
Only place I could find
Other (please specify below)
QG8. Is there any accommodation available for you to move to? (Please tick  one box only)
QG9.
Yes
1
No
2
Don’t know
3
Is there anyone in your household who is in need of their own separate accommodation
immediately? (i.e. grown up children, extended family members etc.)
(Please tick  one box only)
Yes
1
Go to QG10
No
2
Go to QG17
Don’t know
3
Go to QG17
QG10. How many members of your household?
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QG11. Who (note: include ages, gender, and who they plan to live with)?
Member 1:
Member 2:
Member 3:
Member 4:
QG12. Where do you expect them to move to? (Please tick  one box only)
Within Dartford
(note: show map of authority and include place below)
1
Outside Dartford, but within nearby/neighbouring authority:
(note: please select one of the following
Gravesham District
Sevenoaks District
Tonbridge and Malling District
Medway
Thurrock (Essex)
1
2
3
4
5
London Borough of Bromley
6
Bexley
7
Other parts of the UK (please specify below)
14
Abroad
15
QG13. What sort of accommodation are they likely to need? (Please tick  one box only)
Bricks & Mortar
1
Go to QG17
Site based trailer/caravan
2
Go to QG14
Up to them
3
Go to QG14
Don’t know
4
Go to QG14
Other (please specify below)
5
Go to QG14
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Dartford GTAA – needs assessment questionnaire
QG14. How would they need to be accommodated?
A pitch on a council site
1
Go to QG16
Live on this pitch with us
2
Go to QG15
Live on this site.
3
Go to QG16
Rent a pitch on a private site
4
Go to QG16
Purchase a pitch on a private site
5
Go to QG16
Purchase their own site/land to be developed into a site
6
Go to QG16
Don’t know______________________________________
7
Go to QG16
Other (please specify below)
8
Go to QG16
QG15. Is there enough room on your pitch to accommodate them? (Please tick  one box only)
Yes, but likely to need planning permission
1
Go to QG16
Yes, without needing planning permission
2
Go to QG16
Yes, but uncertain of the need for planning permission
3
Go to QG16
Yes, but would need permission from the landlord
4
Go to QG16
No
5
Go to QG16
Don’t know
6
Go to QG16
Other (please specify below)
7
Go to QG16
QG16. Why would they need to be accommodated on this/this type of site? Is there anything
that would put them off living on the other types of sites?
_______________________________________________________________________
QG17. Is there anyone in your household (e.g. son or daughter) who is likely to need their own
separate accommodation in the next 5 years (by 2018)? (Please tick  one box only)
Yes
1
Go to QG18
No
2
Go to QG25
Don’t know
3
Go to QG25
QG18. How many members of your household?
QG19. Who (note: include ages, gender, and who they plan to live with)?
Member 1:
Member 2:
Member 3:
Member 4:
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QG20. Where do you expect them to move to? (Please tick  one box only)
Within Dartford
(note: show map of authority and include place below)
1
Outside Dartford, but within nearby/neighbouring authority:
(note: please select one of the following)
Gravesham District
Sevenoaks District
Tonbridge and Malling District
Medway
Thurrock (Essex)
1
2
3
4
5
London Borough of Bromley
6
Bexley
7
Other parts of the UK (please specify below)
14
Abroad
15
QG21. What sort of accommodation are they likely to need? (Please tick  one box only)
Bricks & Mortar
1
Go to QG25
Site based trailer/caravan
2
Go to QG22
Up to them
3
Go to QG22
Don’t know
4
Go to QG22
Other (please specify below)
5
Go to QG22
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QG22. How would they need to be accommodated? (Please tick  one box only)
A pitch on a council site
1
Go to QG24
Live on this pitch with us
2
Go to QG23
Live on this site.
3
Go to QG24
Rent a pitch on a private site
4
Go to QG24
Purchase a pitch on a private site
5
Go to QG24
Purchase their own site/land to be developed into a site
6
Go to QG24
Don’t know______________________________________
7
Go to QG24
Other (please specify below)
8
Go to QG24
QG23. Is there enough room on your pitch to accommodate them? (Please tick  one box
only)
Yes, but likely to need planning permission
1
Go to QG24
Yes, without planning permission
2
Go to QG24
Yes, uncertain of the need for planning permission
3
Go to QG24
Yes, but would need permission from the landlord
4
Go to QG24
No
5
Go to QG24
Don’t know
6
Go to QG24
Other (please specify below)
7
Go to QG24
QG24. Why would they need to be accommodated on this/this type of site? Is there
anything that would put them off living on the other types of sites?
_____________________________________________________________________
__
QG25. Are you – or a member of your household – currently on a waiting list(s) for a site?
(Please tick  one box only)
Yes
1
Go to QG26
No
2
Go to QG27
Don’t know
3
Go to QG27
QG26. Which site(s)? Where? Is it local authority site/private sites/etc.?
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Dartford GTAA – needs assessment questionnaire
QG27. Are you – or a member of your household – currently on a waiting list for a house?
(Please tick  one box only)
Yes
1
Go to QG28
No
2
Go to QG29
Don’t know
3
Go to QG29
QG28. Which list? Where?
QG29. Could you currently afford to purchase any of the following? (Please tick  all that
apply)
1.
A pitch on a private site with planning permission
1
3.
Land with planning permission to be developed into a site
2
4.
Cannot afford to purchase land or a pitch
3
5
Not relevant (please specify below)
4
QG30. What does your rent / mortgage cost in total per week or month for your current
accommodation approximately? (Please tick  one box only)
Interviewer: please note that you need the TOTAL cost of rent / mortgage for the
whole dwelling/pitch
Weekly
Monthly
Under £30
Under £130
1
£30 - £59
£130 - £255
2
£60 - £89
£256 - £385
3
£90 - £119
£386 - £515
4
£120 - £149
£516 - £645
5
£150 - £179
£646 - £775
6
£180 - £209
£776 - £905
7
£210 - £239
£906 - £1,035
8
£240 - £269
£1,036 - £1,165
9
£270 - £299
£1,166 - £1,295
10
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£300 or more
£1,296 or more
11
Don’t know
12
Prefer not to say
13
Don’t pay rent or mortgage
14
Not applicable (unauthorised encampments only)
15
QG31. Finally, are there any other issues/concerns that we haven’t talked about that you’d
like to mention?
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Dartford GTAA – needs assessment questionnaire
Thank you very much for your time
For further details on the study please contact:
Joanna Brown on 0161 295 6926 or Dr Phil Brown on 0161 295 3647
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Dartford GTAA – needs assessment questionnaire