Housing

Travelling showpeople

The Gypsy and Traveller Unit also deals with travelling showpeople. This group faces many of the same issues as Gypsy and Traveller communities in terms of land shortage.

Travelling showpeople are self-employed business people who travel the country holding fairs. Most travelling showpeople are members of the Showman's Guild of Great Britain. This organisation was formed in the late nineteenth century, and requires its members to follow a strict code of practice relating to the use of sites. Traditionally, most travelling showpeople travel for their businesses in summer and spend the winter on sites, which they either own themselves or which are publicly owned. However, many travelling showpeople now wish to have sites that can be used as permanent bases for their families so that children can have uninterrupted access to education, and older family members can access healthcare.

Many travelling showpeople have been displaced in recent years as their traditional sites are redeveloped. This has led to a shortfall of sites, and consequently to overcrowding on existing sites and unauthorised sites. Many travelling showpeople would like to buy land and develop their own sites, but this has often led to problems when families cannot obtain planning permission for land that they have bought.

The Gypsy and Traveller unit aims to tackle the problems of overcrowding and of unauthorised sites by:

  • increasing site provision for travelling showpeople in line with need
  • ensuring appropriate enforcement powers against unauthorised development
  • introducing new planning guidance to clarify the planning process to both local authorities and to travelling showpeople themselves, therefore reducing the number of planning appeals

The Gypsy and Traveller Unit is introducing new planning guidance to facilitate more provision of both privately and publicly owned sites. This guidance is specific to travelling showpeople, as while they share many of the same problems as Gypsies and Travellers their needs are different. The consultation on this guidance finished in April 2007.

For more information on travelling showpeople: www.showmensguild.co.uk/index.html (external link).

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