Basildon Council must find 235 extra Traveller pitches - but should go further say campaigners

Nearly a quarter of a century after the traumatic eviction of over 80 Traveller families from their homes on a former scrap yard at Dale Farm in Essex, Basildon Council must now plan for 235 extra Gypsy and Traveller plots, it has been revealed.

The move has come about because Basildon Council is preparing to launch a second phase of consultations with residents over its local development plan, which will dictate where 27,111 homes are built over the next 20 years. 

However, thanks to a recent shake up of the planning rules for Traveller sites by the government, the plan must now include space for at least 235 pitches for the Traveller community, or government planning inspectors could refuse to pass the plan, leaving the the future development of Basildon in limbo.

Basildon Council will now launch a ‘call for Traveller sites’ consultation to try to fulfil the need for more Traveller pitches, and has said it is also open to expanding existing Traveller sites.

Deputy Labour leader and councillor for planning and infrastructure, Adele Brown, told the Southend Echo that the council will look at expanding current sites as well as identifying new sites to meet the demand.

“What this new consultation does is address problems, we don’t have enough pitches. Our policy is fair and balanced for both communities while ensuring we obey the national planning policy framework,” said Ms Brown.

The organisation Gypsies and Travellers Essex welcomed the news, but said more must be done.

“It is encouraging that (Basildon Council) identifies the need for an additional 235 Gypsy and Traveller pitches and 13 Travelling Showpeople plots,” said Sherrie Smith, the Romany Gypsy founder and director.

“Nevertheless, the Council’s approach—relying on a “call for sites” rather than committing to the immediate allocation and securing of land—risks leaving vulnerable families in prolonged uncertainty.”

Sherrie Smith also pointed out that no provision was being planned for transit pitches – or temporary legal stopping places for Gypsies and Travellers passing through or visiting Basildon and the wider Essex area.

“One of the most alarming gaps in the Topic Paper is the complete lack of provision for transit sites, both within Basildon and across the wider county of Essex,” said Sherrie Smith. 

"Without any authorised transit pitches, families who travel for work or cultural reasons have nowhere legal to stop. This forces them into unauthorised encampments, which in turn leads to increased enforcement actions under Section 4 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act,” she added. 

“Essex as a whole has failed to meet its duty to provide transit accommodation, leaving Gypsies and Travellers in an impossible situation—criminalised for stopping, yet given no lawful alternatives.” 

Sherrie Smith claims that Basildon Council are also using an outdated planning definition for Travellers, meaning that there was a legal need for more than 235 extra pitches.

In December 2024, one month after Basildon Council published their plan to find more Traveller pitches, the new Government changed the planning definition for Travellers so that it included Travellers who had stopped travelling both temporarily and permanently, “and all other persons with a cultural tradition of nomadism or of living in a caravan.”

The most recent official assessment of how many Traveller pitches Basildon Council needed to find used the previous definition, which was much tighter and had also fallen foul of a successful human rights challenge in the High Court.

“GATE Essex remains committed to working collaboratively with Basildon Borough Council and all stakeholders to forge a pathway that transforms acknowledgment into tangible, lasting change,” said Sherrie Smith.

 “We believe that a balanced strategy—one that marries immediate family support with long-term planning—will be key to securing a future where every Gypsy, Traveller, and Travelling Showpeople family can live with dignity and certainty.”

TT News

(Photograph: Sherrie Smith courtesy of GATE Essex)