This page contains the following information about Travellers' Sites:
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There are no permanent sites for Gypsies or Travellers in the Borough of Hastings. The closest official transit site is at Southerham on the A27 outside Lewes. The transit site is owned by East Sussex County Council and is managed by Lewes District Council. For more information about this site and whether there are any vacant pitches, please contact Lewes District Council on 01273 471600 (www.lewes.gov.uk)
Hastings Borough Council is working with East Sussex County Council and the other Borough and District Councils in East Sussex to provide additional sites for Gypsies and Travellers. A Countywide strategy is being developed through which it is hoped to increase the number of pitches available to those people who are travelling through the County. Proposals include the refurbishment of the Southerham transit, the establishment of a new transit site in the centre or east of the County, and a commitment from all the Borough and District Councils to identify emergency stopping places for Travellers.
Hastings Borough Council is working in partnership with Rother District Council to identify and develop an emergency stopping place for Travellers in the Hastings and Bexhill area. The emergency stopping place will be used as part of the Council’s policy on unauthorised camping.
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Hastings Borough Council has adopted an official policy for dealing with unauthorised camping on Council owned land in the Borough, which can be downloaded below. The Council’s policy is based on central government guidance from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM). Revised Guidance on Managing Unauthorised Encampments was published in February 2004 (for copies of the guidance visit www.odpm.gov.uk). When dealing with unauthorised encampments, the Council will work closely with Sussex Police who have also revised their Unauthorised Camping Policy (for details visit www.sussex.police.uk)
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The Council’s policy on unauthorised camping means that it will assess each encampment on a case by case basis. At all times the Council will have regard to the needs and rights of both the Travelling and settled communities when making decisions.
If the site that Travellers are using is on Council land, a joint visit will be made with Sussex Police within 24 hours to assess the situation against a number of criteria. These criteria are set out in the Council’s and Sussex Police’s policies on unauthorised camping. Where circumstances permit, the Council will tolerate the use of its land for an agreed period of time. If a site is not suitable for toleration, Travellers will be asked to move to an official transit site, emergency stopping place or enforcement action may be taken in accordance with the Council’s Unauthorised Camping policy.
The Council will not take action where unauthorised camping takes place on the Highway or on private land unless there are exceptional circumstances that would make it in the public interest to act.
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You can find further information about Travellers from this web site:
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Please contact us for further information and advice about Gypsies or Travellers in Hastings.
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This page last updated: 16/01/2007