Earlier this month, the Mayor published the comments on his new Draft London Plan sent by councils, businesses, community groups and individuals between January and March this year.
There has been a fantastic response from the Gypsy and Traveller community to the consultation, amounting to almost a quarter of all the responses. Mena Mongan, Community Engagement Officer at London Gypsies and Travellers, was very pleased with the outcomes: “We collectively posted 977 postcards out of around 4000 responses. They were all from Gypsies and Travellers who responded to our call to sign it, post it, sort it.”
As a result of the consultation, there have been some amendments to the Plan, including to the Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation policy. However stronger changes need to be made to ensure the delivery of new sites.
The Draft London Plan is currently being considered by independent planning inspectors. They will soon publish further questions to decide which issues will be debated in the Examination in Public and who will be invited to participate in the oral hearings early next year.
This is another opportunity to make sure the voices of Gypsies and Travellers are heard. Join us to discuss these issues at the next London Gypsy and Traveller Forum meeting on 2nd October, 10.30am-12.30pm at City Hall.
Pictured: Mena Mongan giving an update on the Draft London Plan consultation