The Site
The Site is located on the western edge of Bishops Cleeve, approximately 2.5 kilometres from the centre where a range of facilities typically associated with a larger village are available.
The Site is bounded by a parcel of agricultural land to the east which has planning permission for a David Lloyds Leisure Centre, and Stoke Road to the south. The land abuts the open countryside to the west, and the attenuation basins and public open space associated with the recently completed residential development to the north (ref. 18/00249/OUT).
The residential application to the north provided new bus stops located on Stoke Road, which are now in operation. The eastbound stop is located adjacent to Stella Way around 400 metres southeast of the site, and the westbound stop is located 250m southeast, adjacent to Cheltenham North Rugby Football Club. The bus route provides a direct service to Bishops Cleeve town centre.
Planning Context
This planning application is being submitted at this time in response to clearly identified and pressing housing needs at both national and local levels. The Government has established ambitious housing delivery targets to address the ongoing shortage of homes, placing a clear expectation on local authorities to significantly increase housing supply.
At the local level, Tewkesbury Borough Council is unable to demonstrate a deliverable five-year housing land supply, as required by national planning policy, which reinforces the need for suitable and deliverable sites to come forward. The Council is currently only able to demonstrate 3.14 years of housing supply, as set out in recent Officer Reports. In light of this shortfall, national planning policy gives added weight to approving sustainable developments, like this proposal, helping to deliver much-needed local housing.
Bishops Cleeve has been recognised as a sustainable location for new development by Tewkesbury Borough Council within their Tewkesbury Borough Plan 2011 – 2031 (adopted June 2022), being categorised as a ‘Rural Service Centres’, a suitable location for housing and employment developments. This demonstrates that Bishops Cleeve is considered a sustainable location providing a wide range of facilities, employment opportunities, education provision, leisure and sports and public transport.
There is a need to identify the housing requirements of different groups within the community, including the need for affordable housing. The National Planning Policy Framework requires major housing developments to deliver a mix of affordable housing tenures to meet identified local needs, including Social Rent, other forms of affordable rented housing, and affordable home ownership options.
In light of the above, Spitfire Homes considers that introducing new affordable homes on this Site represents a suitable and beneficial use of the land. The proposed residential development would help to address local housing needs, make efficient use of a sustainably located site, and complement the surrounding mix of residential, leisure and employment uses.
