THE council has revealed where it expects new traveller sites to be built in the next 20 years to cope with demand.

More than 100 pitches need to be built in the next 15 years, according to new traveller and travelling showpeople documents revealed by three south Worcestershire councils.

The councils have said that half of the pitches have already been built or are due to be built soon and it is five pitches behind its target with six years left to build them.

A recent council search for potential traveller sites in Worcester found no suitable locations, which means the sites will have to be built in the Malvern Hills and Wychavon districts.

The allocation of traveller sites and predicted demand is included in the newly updated South Worcestershire Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Policy and Site Allocations Development Plan Document which is similar to the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP) which sets out where thousands of new homes are set to be built across the county in the next two decades.

Proposed locations at the two new towns set out in the updated South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP), at Worcestershire Parkway and Throckmorton near Pershore, as well as the three ‘urban extensions’ of Worcester towards Lower Broadheath, Norton and Kempsey and Whittington, will fill the bulk of the gaps in the council’s traveller site plans.

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Ten sites each at the south and west ‘urban extension’ sites and the new Worcestershire Parkway town would need to be built between 2029 and 2033 to keep up with the current predicted demand.

Another ten sites would then need to be built at both Worcestershire Parkway and Throckmorton between 2034 and 2041.

The councils are also relying on 30 pitches to be made available at ‘windfall’ sites – bits of land that have not been earmarked in any planning documents or policies – in the next 20 years to ensure it has enough designated space for travellers.

It is the responsibility of the three councils to find out how many travellers sites the south of the county needs and to plan ahead for at least 10 years and 15 years where possible.

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The most recent assessment, which was published in 2019, said that 104 traveller pitches would be needed in south Worcestershire across the 15 years with 50 pitches built in the first decade including 30 by 2023 and the remainder by 2028.

The councils said 45 pitches have been awarded planning permission since March 2019 which means five more need to be built by 2028.

Six pitches, four in Newland in Malvern and two in Charlton near Evesham, have been highlighted by the councils to fill the gap by 2028.