Updated guidance for designing Gypsy and Traveller sites

The draft Designing Gypsy and Traveller Sites in Wales guidance outlines guidance for local authorities to design Gypsy and Traveller sites in Wales. The guidance is aimed at local authority owned or leased Gypsy and Traveller sites, both permanent and transit.

The guidance is non-statutory but recommended for local authorities to support the sharing of good practice and consistent approaches to developing  accommodation for Gypsies and Travelers, this may take the form of pitches or sites. This guide aims to provide a useful tool to help achieve this for existing and future local authority Gypsy and Traveller sites.

The guidance is intended as a guide to local authorities to design and provide appropriate sites for Gypsies and Travellers in Wales. It contains practical guidance to assist local authorities to ensure their residential sites, stopping places sites and transit sites are fit-for-purpose and meet standards of design, facilities and safety.

The Housing (Wales) Act 2014 requires local authorities to carry out an assessment of the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers and submit this to Welsh Ministers for approval. This is their Gypsy Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA). The Act places a duty on local authorities to meet the needs identified in their approved GTAA, accommodation needs may include pitches on local authority sites.

The Designing Gypsy and Traveller Sites in Wales guidance was last updated in 2015.

The main changes that are being taken forward in the draft guidance are:

• updating references to the Housing (Wales) Act 2015
• updating references to the Anti-racist Wales Action Plan
• clarification of the descriptions of different Gypsy and Traveller sites
• a greater emphasis on consultation with Gypsy and Traveller residents
• removing any pitch minimum requirement.

A full impact assessment will be published with the final guidance.

Dedicated engagement activities with the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community will be undertaken as part of this consultation facilitated by a Gypsy, Roma and Traveller organisation. 

If you are a community member interested in participating in an engagement event, please email equalityandhumanrightsdivision@gov.wales.

Question 1

Does this guidance have anything missing for local authorities to effectively design and develop new local authority run Gypsy and Traveller sites or pitches?

Question 2

Does the guidance allow for an effective and productive working relationship between local authorities and residents? 

Question 3

Are there any technical changes you can recommend which would make the guidance more effective for local authorities and residents?

Question 4

What, in your opinion, would be the likely effects of the guidance on the Welsh language?

We are particularly interested in any likely effects on opportunities to use the Welsh language and on not treating the Welsh language less favourably than English.

• Do you think that there are opportunities to promote any positive effects?
• Do you think that there are opportunities to mitigate any adverse effects?

Question 5

In your opinion, could the guidance be formulated or changed so as to:

• have positive effects or more positive effects on using the Welsh language and on not treating the Welsh language less favourably than English; or
• mitigate any negative effects on using the Welsh language and on not treating the Welsh language less favourably than English?

Question 6

We have asked a number of specific questions. If you have any related issues which we have not specifically addressed, please use this space to report them.

Submit your comments by 19 May 2025, in any of the following ways:

• complete our online form
• download, complete our response form and email equalityandhumanrightsdivision@gov.wales
• download, complete our response form and post to:

Equality and Human Rights Division
Welsh Government
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

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Number: WG51193

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