Former council carpark back up for sale
A Cheltenham Car park plot is back on sale for more than double the price.
A former council car park is back on the market a year later at more than double the amount as a plot with planning permission for a home while villagers “fume over the chaos it has caused”.
Cheltenham Borough Council chiefs decided to sell Idsall Drive car park in Prestbury because it was seen as surplus to requirements.
At the time they said it was costing the taxpayer around £4,000 a year to maintain.
And despite strong opposition from residents to keep the site and calls for a rethink – it was sold off last year.
Adrian Gillman later submitted plans for a self-build property on the site.
The scheme includes four ensuites on the first floor and a loft with a double bedroom and bathroom.
Borough planners approved the scheme earlier this year.
And Councillor Stan Smith (People Against Bureaucracy, Prestbury) says there are already problems with parking in the area and proposals for double yellow lines will make matters worse.
Highways published last month its intention to paint double yellow lines down several streets in Prestbury including Mill Street, Linden Avenue and The Burgage.
He claims a parking survey done in Prestbury included the now closed and sold 20-space car park.
“When you look at it in the whole, it’s a joke what the council has done”, he said.
“It’s a sore subject with the borough councillors for Prestbury. They rode roughshod over us and Stephan Fifield who was the County Councillor.
“They rode roughshod over his petition. When we talked about the petition they said it was too late it was sold.
“They didn’t even want to listen to what we had to say about the property and the damage it was going to do to the village.
“It’s chaos in there now. Residents are fuming. People are parking on the bank by the war memorial opposite the Idsall Drive car park.
“If they put double yellow lines on the road, where are people going to park then?
“Nobody has thought this out. The council just doesn’t care.”
The Borough Council says they identified the site in 2020 as potentially surplus and suitable for disposal as part of their Covid-19 recovery plan.
Following various surveys to establish usage of the car park, the council proceeded with the disposal towards the end of 2023 .
It was marketed with a local firm of Chartered Surveyors and received numerous bids.
After best and final offers were received, it was subsequently sold on an unconditional basis for £282,500, a sum substantially higher than the other bids, the council said.
However, the site is currently on sale again but now for £600,000. It is being advertised on Right Move as a “unique opportunity to build a bespoke home in Prestbury”.
“Taking into account the market at the time, along with planning and other costs and risks, the council is satisfied that it secured best consideration for the local taxpayer,” a council spokesperson said.
“The sale also removed the financial liability of ownership, allowing those savings to be diverted into front line services.
“The purchaser has since obtained planning consent for a single self-build dwelling, meaning that the future owner must live in the property for a minimum period of time.”