In preparing the new Local Plan, and as set out in the national Planning Policy for Traveller Sites (PPTS) published by In preparing the new Local Plan, and as set out in the national Planning Policy for Traveller Sites (PPTS) originally published by Government in 2015, the Council is required to assess and plan for the accommodation needs of Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople in Rother district.

We have worked alongside all of the East Sussex local authorities and the South Downs National Park Authority to commission a joint Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Accommodation Needs Assessment for the study period between 2021 and 2040. This study provides a summary of accommodation need for Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople in respect of both their permanent and transit needs for pitches/plots over the study period.

Call for Sites – Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Sites

The Accommodation Needs Assessment identifies that additional sites will be needed across East Sussex, including in Rother district, over the emerging Local Plan period. Therefore, Rother is working together with the other Councils in East Sussex to carry out a co-ordinated “Call for Sites” to help identify suitable locations for permanent Gypsy and Traveller pitches and Travelling Showpeople plots across their administrative areas.

Landowners, developers, community groups and members of the public are being invited to put forward potential sites for Gypsy and Traveller pitches and Travelling Showpeople plots. All suggested sites will be assessed against a consistent set of criteria to determine their suitability. The Call for Sites runs from 5 August until 5 October 2025.

To be considered, sites must:

• Be large enough to accommodate at least one pitch for gypsies or travellers, or one plot for travelling showpeople,
• Be wholly or partly within Rother district,
• Be submitted by the landowner or submitted with proof of the landowner’s willingness for the site to be considered as part of this process.

Please see our FAQ document which answers many common questions.

Sites must be submitted to the Council using the site submission form which can be completed online: 

All submissions must be accompanied by a red-edged site plan based on an Ordnance Survey map clearly defining the site boundary, together with any relevant supporting information. 

If you are unable to use the online form, a PDF form can be downloaded by right-clicking the link below and selecting ‘Save target as’ or ‘Save link as’. 

If you are using the PDF form, please email the completed form and any attachments back to us at: planning.strategy@rother.gov.uk or send by post to: Planning Policy, Rother District Council, Town Hall, Bexhill on Sea TN39 3JX. 

Please use a separate form for each separate site you submit. 

Alternatively, please see our Call for Sites page if you wish to submit a site for consideration for general housing development or economic development, or our Call for Sites for Nature page to submit a site for nature.