Gloucester City Council has made the planning application. Under the proposal, 277 new homes would be built on a long-vacant area that formerly housed a cattle market. The now overgrown site has been promised new development after an initial agreement signed two years ago. Of the homes proposed, 56 have been set aside for affordable housing. This collaborative, artist-led initiative seeks to tackle some of the region’s most urgent housing inequities.
The council has applied for planning permission to address the urgent need for new homes in Gloucester. To keep pace with local demands, we have to build no fewer than 14,359 new homes through 2031. The master development plan calls for amenities that range from a central village green with play features and walking paths to more natural, landscaped areas. The neighborhood will be sliced by a freight railway embankment and a large roundabout. It will feature complete streets, parkways, a nature pond, and clusters of unique, colorful homes wrapped around a linear green park.
In May and June, a three-week pre-application consultation held by the developer helped to bring out residents’ views on how best to develop the land. Leaflets were delivered to more than 2,000 homes in the local area to make sure that directly local people’s set of views were taken into account. Another consultation is set to kick off on October 30.
Alex McIntyre, MP for Gloucester, said he was worried about the few affordable homes planned in the development which locals could afford.
“While it’s good to see this happening, I am disappointed that as things stand only 20% of the properties will be affordable housing,” – Alex McIntyre, MP for Gloucester.
McIntyre called for immediate action to address urgent housing needs. He pointed out that 4,500 families in Gloucester are desperately waiting for social housing. He stressed the need to focus on developing on brownfield land first to help address this crisis.
In note Rooftop Housing project financial viability spoke person underlined that In response, they stressed that sufficient and meaningful private sector involvement is critical for making the proposed development financially feasible.
“To make the development viable, significant private sector involvement is required, resulting in a higher proportion of open market homes to help fund the affordable dwellings,” – Rooftop Housing spokesperson.
The spokesperson noted that the proposed scheme aligns with Gloucester City Council’s policies concerning land remediation and site constraints.
“We all share the aim of delivering as many affordable homes as possible, while ensuring the scheme is financially deliverable and turn this brownfield site to much-needed homes for Gloucester,” – Rooftop Housing spokesperson.
Gloucester City Council’s decision on this major development is due early next year. Stakeholders are currently participating in value sensitive consultations and are collecting community input. They continue to hope that a path can be discovered that meets the affordable housing mission while maintaining financial sustainability.
