Plan for thousands of homes in Gloucestershire
43,020 homes could see new towns created
People are being asked to have their say on a new major blueprint, for more than 43,020 homes which could see new towns created in Gloucestershire.
Research was published on Monday (December 1) detailing how Gloucester and the boroughs of Cheltenham and Tewkesbury could grow over the next 20 years.
And the consultation on the strategic and local plan, which is being worked on for Tewkesbury and Cheltenham Borough Council, as well as Gloucester City Council, is now open for residents to have their say.
The plan will seek to allocate where new housing and employment sites will be created across the three districts.
Cheltenham needs to plan for more than 16,400 homes while Gloucester and Tewkesbury have a target of 14,000 and 12,600 respectively.
Of the 43,020 total needed, plans are already in place for 18,000 homes meaning the current total required across the whole area is around 25,000 new dwellings.
The plan also involves finding space for 70 to 210 hectares of employment land.
There are four overall spatial options being considered.
The first option would see a substantial amount of new housing along a transport corridor with new routes and hubs.
This would concentrate development around Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury and up to three new towns.
This option considers development options regardless of the green belt which is a designated area of countryside around Gloucester and Cheltenhtam that is protected from most development to stop urban sprawl.
And this proposal could see 2,500 homes built between the A40/A48 near Churcham, Boddington and east of Swindon Village respectively.
The second option looks at substantial housing growth along a sustainable transport corridor with small scale growth at rural villages that are well connected by public transport and have good access to shops, services and facilities.
Growth would largely be focussed around the main settlements of Gloucester, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury and a number of rural settlements.
It could also see 2,500 homes built near Churcham, Boddington and east of Swindon Village along with several other sites. The presence of the green belt as a constraint would be disregarded.
The third spatial option, if taken forward, would see thousands of new homes and the existing transport routes and hubs along with growth in Tewkesbury, Winchcombe, Bishop’s Cleeve and service villages, excluding locations in the green belt.
While the fourth proposal would see housing growth at strategic scale mixed-use sites to provide 13,000 homes at a combination of urban extensions to Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury, with at least one new town option.
There would also be a greater focus of development at rural service villages with 6,000 homes and ‘urban fringe settlements’ with around 1,600 dwellings in place of growth around the main settlements.
Chief Executive of Tewkesbury Borough Council and senior responsible owner for the strategic local plan, Alistair Cunningham, encouraged people to take part in the consultation.
“This is the most important document that the local government produces,” he said.
“It is important because it will determine how our places will develop over the next 20 years and we really need the public’s engagement to get that right.”
Mr Cunningham said there would be better transport links between Gloucester and Cheltenham when asked by the Local Democracy Reporting Service if it was an inevitability for the city and spa town to join together given the need for thousands of more homes.
“Certainly, in this plan we are not looking at the coalescence of those two settlements,” he said.
“The motorway, in a funny way, prevents that from happening.
“With the rapid transport schemes coming in, I think we will see much more connectivity between the centres but certainly not that joining up of the housing.
“Although there is quite a bit of infill there already.
“Providing growth for both those settlements, particularly when you’ve got a lot of protected landscape on the other side of Cheltenham… it is part of that mix and it is a difficult thing the planners have to cope with.”
Mr Cunningham said the planners really want to hear from young people about the type of homes they need.
“We want ideas around what sort of housing works for younger people,” he said.
“Gloucester have done some brilliant work around young people and city centre living which really makes a difference.
“The option to stay here and work locally and get something affordable to living is so important rather than people being priced out and forced to live into other urban centres as opposed to smaller towns.”
The indicative maps show land that landowners have brought forward that they would like to see developed.
“But that land identified in the plan is just the starting point for sitting it down to get the most appropriate sites which best meet the need where it exists and have the lowest impact on the environment and need to travel.”
Mr Cunningham said the plan is about more than building houses and it will be looking at creating employment sites and the environment.
“It’s about creating places that work for people and the environment. That means thinking about jobs and inward investment, community facilities, green spaces, flood protection, and transport links, whilst protecting our natural environment and heritage.
“These papers are grounded in evidence, and your feedback – whether supportive or critical – is essential. Our goal is to build a shared vision for future growth, and your views truly matter. We encourage you to review this latest research and contribute your thoughts.”
People can visit the dedicated strategic local plan website and can also sign up for updates. Some of the papers are for information, and others will invite feedback.
The engagement opens today (December 1) for seven weeks, until Friday, January 16, 2025.
The full SLP engagement runs until June 2026, with pre-submission of the plan to government in July 2026, and the final submission in October/November 2026.
Residents and businesses in these areas can review evidence and share feedback to help guide the Strategic and Local Plan (SLP) .
The latest research includes proposals for:
The aims and scope for the SLP Suggestions for housing and employment growth Maps showing potential future development sites Where development should most effectively be located to meet the needs of communities