Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the absence of a five-year land supply for traveller sites constitutes grounds for traveller site development in the green belt in the context of (a) a local plan and (b) an individual planning decision.

National planning policy is clear that it is the responsibility of local planning authorities to assess the need for traveller sites in their areas and plan to meet that need, in the same way that they plan for all forms of housing.

In producing their local plan, local planning authorities should set pitch targets for traveller sites, and identify a supply of specific deliverable sites sufficient to provide five years' worth of sites against their locally set targets.

When considering applications, local planning authorities should consider matters such as the local need for sites and whether an up-to-date five-year supply of deliverable sites can be demonstrated. It is for local authorities to make decisions on specific development proposals and locations, taking into account all relevant circumstances.