Call for housing sites for Gypsy and Travellers
News release issued:
Wyre Forest District Council is currently updating its records to be used in the preparation of a new Local Plan which includes carrying out a Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment (GTANA).
Like all local authorities, the Council is required by government to identify enough land to meet the district's accommodation needs for Gypsy, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople. Following a recent call for sites exercise which did not produce enough options, the Council is now running a further, targeted call focused specifically on this type of provision.
The sites put forward can be new sites, or existing sites with potential for limited expansion and/ or intensification, which means more pitches on an existing site within its current boundary.
Councillor Marcus Hart, Leader of Wyre Forest District Council, said:
"We are asking for site submissions only at this stage, not comments. Formal public consultation will take place following the site assessment, as part of the wider Local Plan consultation."
The government changed its definition of gypsy and traveller for planning and accommodation purposes in 2024, following a discrimination ruling. This new GTANA takes that change into consideration.
Wyre Forest District Council now needs to provide 133 permanent Gypsy and Traveller pitches and 11 permanent Travelling Showpeople pitches between 2025 and 2046. Most of this need is urgent - 68 Gypsy and Traveller pitches and eight Travelling Showpeople pitches are required by 2030.
The previous call for sites returned only five submissions, covering around 6.29 hectares in total - well short of what is needed.
The Council’s position has been highlighted by the loss of three planning appeals in 2025, where significant weight was given to the level of unmet need for Gypsy pitches. Two of the appeals were granted on a temporary basis to allow Wyre Forest District Council to increase its supply of suitable sites.
To address this, the Council needs to identify a wider range of potential sites to support plan led decision making and reduce reliance on unplanned or speculative development. A further targeted Call for Sites is therefore being undertaken. If this Call for Sites exercise is not undertaken and an insufficient number of sites are allocated for Gypsy pitches, these temporary permissions will be given permanent consent.
This Call for Sites runs from Monday 20 April to Monday 13 July 2026.
You can nominate a site through our Call for Sites webpage.