London Borough of Bexley GTAA
Client
Brief
As well as completing their SHMA, the London Borough of Bexley Council commissioned arc4 to undertake a Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment to identify the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers, Travelling Showpeople and houseboat dwellers from across the Borough of Bexley.
The aims of the GTAA 2018 are:
- To identify the current accommodation provision for members of the Travelling community within the Borough of Bexley;
- To identify current levels of need for accommodation arising from within the community, including from concealed households and those living in bricks and mortar;
- To project future accommodation needs for pitches, plots and moorings using a clear and transparent methodology in order to create a robust evidence base for the next five years and the period to 2036; and
- To inform the development of housing and planning policies for the Council and its strategic partners.
What we did
The Borough of Bexley GTAA (2018) has comprised the following evidence sources:
- Desktop analysis of existing documents, including data on pitches/sites, plots/yards and unauthorised encampments;
- The collection of primary data, including a fieldwork survey and household interviews with Gypsies and Travellers and Travelling Showpeople on sites/yards and those living in bricks and mortar accommodation – a total of 15 interviews were obtained;
- An online stakeholder survey yielding seven responses; and
- An assessment of accommodation needs taking into account all available data and information.,/li>
The Result
The overarching purpose of this study was to identify the accommodation requirements of Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople across the Borough of Bexley.
As well as providing a detailed evidence base, the GTAA 2018 also made recommendations and next steps, gave advice on strategic responses and gave examples of good practice. This detailed assessment has helped to inform the housing and planning policies for the Council and its strategic partners.