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Lower Hollow Copse

Questions and Answers on Proposals for Permanent Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation

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Why does Mid Sussex District Council need to provide permanent gypsy and traveller accommodation?Government policy requires councils to have a five-year housing land supply. Councils must provide a five-year supply of land for gypsy and traveller accommodation (GTA).

Mid Sussex District Council (MSDC) cannot demonstrate that it has sufficient five-year land supply for GTA.

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Does this shortage matter? Yes. Not having enough GTA accommodation in the district means risking unplanned unsatisfactory outcomes including:• An increase in unauthorised GTA sites• Possible conflict with the settled community• Cost to the Council if legal action is taken• Overcrowding on authorised sites

How much GTA does the district need? 23 permanent pitches for settled gypsies and travellers over the plan period (The MSDC Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment, 2016). This identified district need is currently unmet.

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Why is Lower Hollow Copse being considered as a GTA site?• Government Planning Policy for Traveller Sites (PPTS) indicates that

Local Plan site selection criteria should be used to assess unallocated sites which come forward.

• Mid Sussex District Council is identifying potential GTA sites through the Traveller Sites Allocations DPD Draft Traveller Sites Study.

• The Lower Hollow Copse site substantially meets the criteria of the study’s Stage 1 assessment; warranting the detailed analysis and consideration afforded to a planning application submission.

• The site lies close to the settlement of Copthorne which is identified in the MSDC settlement hierarchy as a Local Service centre.

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Is the site available? Yes. The Corporate Estates & Facilities Business Unit, MDSC, will resubmit a joint application for planning permission with the current land owner before Christmas. The ownership certificate accompanying the application will correctly reflect site ownership at the time of the application submission.

Should planning consent be granted, the Business Unit, MSDC have an agreement with the land owner to purchase the land comprising Site A.

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What about the Copthorne Neighbourhood Plan?The draft Copthorne Neighbourhood Plan, which has yet to go to local referendum, did not make any provision for GTA pitches as it did not identify local need.

It includes the site as part of a ‘Green Ring’ designation–important local green space to the community.

But the site’s current condition is poor, following previous, unauthorised uses. Development would improve its condition.

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What about the Strategic Gap?The GTA proposal would not diminish the integrity of the locally designated strategic gap since there would be limited perception of the development because the site:• Is well screened by tree belts along all boundaries• Comprises a relatively small sliver of the strategic gap area • Would have few permanent buildings• Large swathes of woodland on either side of the site remain

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Lower Hollow Copse location

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Why is Lower Hollow Copse a suitable and sustainable location?The site is:• Just outside the settlement boundary of Copthorne• Within easy walking distance of the village and access to

services and facilities• Consistent with Government policy criteria and with Adopted

Local Plan policy H14• Unlike 60 per cent of the district, not in the designated High

Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, South Downs National Park, Ashdown Forest SPA or zone of influence.

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It’s not a rural exception site, though... Although in the countryside, the site does not have to be a proven ‘rural exception site’ to meet national and local GTA policy criteria.

The district-wide need identified in the MSDC GTAA is currently unmet by Local Plan site allocations.

Both the adopted Local Plan policy H14 and the Pre-submission District Plan Policy DP31 permit Gypsy and Traveller sites within rural and semi-rural areas, providing the development does ‘not dominate the nearest settled community’ and other criteria.

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What will Lower Hollow Copse provide?A total of 16 pitches for touring and static caravans in two parts:

• Site ‘A’ (southern part), a public GTA site with 12 pitches

• Site ‘B’ (northern part), a private GTA site of four pitches

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What will it look like?The exhibition banners describe the appearance of the proposed development in detail. Permanent buildings will be minimal, small and single storey.

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Who is the site for?Gypsies and travellers. Each pitch will have a likely occupancy of between four to six people.

Why do they need permanent accommodation if they are travelling? Most travellers need a settled base or place to stop at some point, in particular during the winter. Whilst family members may still be travelling for work, families with young or older members require safe and secure places. Gypsies and travellers sometimes stop travelling for periods to care for sick or elderly relatives or to continue a child’s education, taking up the travelling way of life again as a family when family life permits.

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Site constraints

The exhibition banners explain the site constraints in detail.

These include retaining buffer zones for tree protection for TPO trees on the site and for the Ancient Woodland off-site.

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How will the onsite Japanese Knotweed and Equisetum be dealt with?A report from Japanese Knotweed Limited proposes remediation works of herbicide treatment with burial in situ on Site B for the Japanese Knotweed and excavation of the equisetum and burial on Site B.

Prior to implementation and during the detailed design phase, detailed consideration will be given to remediation methods, tree protection and any further survey analysis necessary, together with any cost and programme implications.

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Isn’t there a risk of flooding?Very little as the site is in a low-risk flood zone 1. The proposed surface water drainage strategy uses permeable paving to store storm water onsite before discharging at a restricted rate into an adjacent watercourse.

The rate at which surface water runoff is discharged offsite will be controlled in a way which closely replicates the undeveloped greenfield runoff characteristics of the site.

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Won’t the proposal harm the nearby Ancient Woodlands and other trees?No. Following a tree survey, the proposed site layout has been adapted to ensure that the root protection areas of the TPO treesare protected from development.

The boundary trees will continue to provide a high level of public amenity and complement the scheme. The scheme design will provide a suitable buffer area to the Ancient Woodland.

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Will access to and from the site be safe? Yes. The Transport Assessment found that: • The development’s traffic impacts will not prejudice the free flow of

traffic or road safety on the neighbouring highway• Both of the proposed accesses can be provided with appropriate

visibility splays • Vehicle and cycle parking

Provision will accord with West Sussex CC guidance

• The development has an appropriate servicing strategy

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Where will the access points be?There will be a new vehicular access with visibility splays from Old Hollow for Site A, following closure and landscaping of the existing access. For Site B, the main existing access from Copthorne Road will be altered to increase width and provide visibility splays.

Pedestrian accessA Road Safety Audit is underway. If it highlights the need for improvements to pedestrian movement, options will be considered in the designers’ response.

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Consideration of a layby on Old HollowAn early design iteration considered an option to create a layby alongside the site frontage to Old Hollow to allow large vehicles to move off the road before making the turn into the site. However this would mean the removal of a large swathe of boundary trees protected by a Tree Preservation Order.

It is not essential in terms of highway safety to provide a layby as long as there is no gate/ barrier to the site allowing vehicles to make the turn smoothly without stopping. The best design solution would be to retain the TPO tree cover along the boundary and provide an ungated access into Site A as proposed.

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Will the proposals put pressure on schools, doctors’ surgeries and other local infrastructure?

No. The proposal, for 16 pitches, would respect the scale of the nearest settled community at Copthorne, representing around 2% of a population of around 5,000 people. Consequently, it would not dominate the existing settlement or put undue pressure on infrastructure.

Planning permission for a housing development of up to 500 homes, with mixed use community facilitiesincluding primary school and doctors surgery, on land within walking distance of the site, to the north of the A264 has been granted. That development is expected to begin in the short-term.

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Why haven’t we been consulted before?The Business unit, MSDC and WYG are holding this public exhibition to find out your views. WYG has also made available an online questionnaire which can be found at

www.wyg.com/consultations/hollow-copse

along with information on the proposals. The previous application has been invalidated and the Business Unit, MSDC will not submit another application until all the consultation responses have been assessed. Consultation has also been undertaken with the West Sussex County Council Gypsy Liaison Officer.

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If the proposals are granted permission, when will the scheme be built? Following detailed designconsiderations, works to prepare the site for the development would beginin 2018.