Call for More Gypsy and Traveller Sites
The South Downs National Park Authority has partnered with local district and borough councils across East Sussex, including Hastings Borough Council, to launch a collaborative call to identify land sites for permanent Gypsy and Traveller pitches and plots for Travelling Showpeople. This highlights the challenges public authorities face in identifying suitable locations for permanent Gypsy and Traveller pitches. By working together, the authorities aim to meet these communities’ accommodation needs fairly and sustainably, in accordance with national planning policy and local housing strategies.
Mark Etherington, the lead councillor for Strategic Planning and Climate Change at Hastings BC, said local authorities have a “legal and moral obligation” to meet the housing needs of all our communities, including those of the Gypsy and Traveller communities.
Landowners, developers, community groups, and members of the public will be able to put forward potential sites. This can be done anonymously and these will then be assessed against a set of criteria to determine their suitability.
The call for sites formally opened on 5 August and will run until Sunday 5 October 2025. Sites within the Hastings Borough Boundary must be submitted to the council using the Online Site Submission Form at: app.smartsheet.com/b/form/b52a38758fcb4217b63291e78223a35e
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