OWNERS of land which would be suitable for Gypsy and Traveller sites in Kidderminster, Bewdley and Stourport are being urged to contact Wyre Forest District Council, writes Zaynab Hamdy.
As part of its work on the new Local Plan, the authority is carrying out a Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment (GTANA).
And last Monday it launched a ‘call for sites’ which runs until July 13.
The council is required to identify enough land to meet the accommodation needs for Gypsy, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople.
A recent call for sites resulted in only five submissions – short of what is needed.
The council is now running a further, targeted call focused on this type of provision.
Wyre Forest District needs to provide sites for 133 permanent Gypsy Traveller pitches and 11 permanent Travelling Showpeople pitches between 2025 and 2046.
And 68 Gypsy and Traveller pitches and eight Travelling Showpeople pitches are urgently needed by 2030.
Sites put forward can be new sites or existing ones with potential for expansion and/or intensification, meaning more pitches on an exisitng site within its current boundary.
The council lost three planning appeals in 2025, where significant weight had been given to the level of unmet Gypsy pitches.
Two appeals were granted on a temporary basis to allow Wyre Forest DIstrict Council to increase its supply for suitable sites.
Coun 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 a wider Local Plan consultation.”
Those interested can visit the council’s Call for Sites webpage at: wyreforestdc.gov.uk/callforsites/ to nominate a plot of land.
