The Northamptonshire Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA) has shown a need for a number of additional pitches and permanent homes in the Daventry district over the next 10 years.

The assessment will eventually lead to Gypsies and travellers living on designated campsites and homes in the area.

It is hoped the move will reduce the number of unauthorised camps in the area, particularly in laybys on the A45 between Daventry and Kislingbury where Gypsies and travellers often stay.

Speaking at a meeting of Daventry District Council's strategy committee last Thursday, councillor Alan Hills said: "If you ask the majority of the community about travellers living near them, they would say 'no thank you'."

Cllr Chris Over added: "There would not be a great deal of enthusiasm from the community. This needs to be thought about very carefully."

However, Cllr Steve Osborne, portfolio holder for housing and health, said Gypsies and travellers would be treated no differently to other tenants. He added: "This is something we have to be able to do. If there's any problems they will be dealt with like any other family."

The assessment was carried out last year on behalf of the seven district and borough councils in Northamptonshire following the introduction of the Housing Act 2004, which requires all local authorities to consider the accommodation needs of Gypsies and travellers.

During the assessment, key data was studied, stakeholders consulted and one-to-one interviews were carried out with the Gypsy and traveller community.

The GTAA identified nine additional residential pitches would be needed in the district as well as four 'conventional' homes, three transit and two seasonal pitches.

Although the report does not specify where the sites should be, it recommends they should be on the edge of towns.

Cllr Catherine Boardman said: "The Gypsy and traveller community is an ethnic minority – they have rights. It's much better for this authority to be proactive than reactive."

The council will now begin work on a Gypsy and traveller accommodation strategy to see how the accommodation needs will be met, how it will be financed and start exploring options for suitable sites.