Dale Farm saga ‘unlikely’ to be repeated in Norfolk

New figures obtained by the EDP under the Freedom of Information Act show that just half a dozen planning applications for new private and local authority Gypsy and Traveller sites were approved last year in Norfolk and north Suffolk.
Top-down targets previously set by the Labour government were scrapped by the coalition government in favour of “light-touch guidance” encouraging local councils, in consultation with residents, to provide Gypsy and Traveller sites that reflect local and historic demand.
The guidance has seen many councils abandoning their Regional Spatial Strategy targets, which resulted in six sites in Norfolk and north Suffolk receiving planning permission in 2010/11.