Councils sign up to major development plan

Three councils in Gloucestershire have approved a final version of a plan outlining where future development will be located across Cheltenham, Tewkesbury Borough and Gloucester.

Three councils in Gloucestershire have approved a final version of a plan outlining where future development will be located across Cheltenham, Tewkesbury Borough and Gloucester.

The plan, called the Joint Core Strategy, is being put together by Cheltenham, Tewkesbury Borough and Gloucester City councils, and it will allocate housing and employment development, alongside associated infrastructure, up to 2031.

By approving the document, called the Pre-Submission version of the Joint Core Strategy, the three councils are agreeing that this is the best possible plan for future development for the three areas, and this is the plan that should be submitted to the Secretary of State for consideration.

The next stage for the Pre-Submission JCS is for it to go out for public consultation in the early summer, where people can comment on whether it is considered ‘sound’.

A sound plan is one that meets the objectively assessed housing need, employment and infrastructure needs; is the most appropriate strategy; is able to be delivered over its period; and importantly is consistent with national planning policy.

The Pre-Submission JCS takes into account feedback from the Draft Joint Core Strategy (Draft JCS) consultation, which was held between October and December 2013, as well as reflecting updated evidence, which has resulted in a number of updates.

The updates follow new evidence on the objectively assessed need, which refines the number of new homes needed for the JCS area to 30,500, which has changed from 33,200 in the Draft JCS.  

As a result of the reduction in the housing need number, and following a discussion between members at the three councils, two greenbelt sites that were in the Draft JCS have been amended.

The first site is the Up Hatherley, which has been deleted entirely as a development site, and the second is the Twigworth section of the Innsworth/Twigworth site, which has been deleted. Both areas of land are now proposed to be retained within the Green Belt.   

Other changes from the Draft JCS include the reintroduction of land south of Cheltenham Racecourse back into the Green Belt, as well as updates to the number of houses to be delivered at the sites. These changes have been based on a range of information, including consultation responses, discussions with stakeholders and/or the JCS evidence.

As well as putting forward sites that are able to meet the area's identified future housing and employment need, the Pre-Submission JCS sets out a long-term vision for the area together with policies relating to important issues such as flooding, green belt and affordable housing.  

All councils are legally required to have a development plan and by working together the three councils recognise that planning issues go beyond administrative boundaries, in line with the duty to co-operate placed on councils by the government. 

The Pre-Submission document has been established using a range of evidence, is based on local statistical information and is in line with national planning policy guidance set by the government.

Chief Executive of Cheltenham Borough Council Andrew North said: "The acceptance of this JCS version by the three councils is a very significant step as the plan now has real planning weight and will be referred to in dealing with planning applications. But it is not the end of our work as there is now a statutory process of consultation, submission to the Secretary of State and a public examination of the plan by an inspector to go through. Each council will also need to progress its own local plan, which will contain much more detail about how development will be managed to ensure good design, sustainability and proper infrastructure."

Tewkesbury Borough Council’s Lead Member for Built Environment Cllr Derek Davies said: “This is a major step forward for the Joint Core Strategy – it now carries real planning weight so we can be confident that development and infrastructure in the JCS area will take place using a planned approach in areas that we have identified as being suitable for development. The three councils will now be working together to consult with the public on the soundness of the plan before it is submitted to the Secretary of State.”

Councillor Paul James. Leader, Gloucester City Council said: "The Joint Core Strategy is a vital document to ensure the development of Gloucester, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury takes place in a planned way in the period to 2031 and to provide homes to meet the need of our growing population.  It's right that we work together on this plan to ensure a co-ordinated approach.    The strategy is not just about housing but employment land as well, ensuring our economy is able to grow and create the jobs local people need.  It has been a long and often difficult process but I am pleased we have reached this milestone and I look forward to seeing the plan progress further towards adoption."

On top of approving the document, Cheltenham Borough Council also committed to revising the housing figures when the latest population growth data is published by the Office for National Statistics, as well as agreeing to use the Government’s Local Green Space designation process, where appropriate, on development sites within Cheltenham as part of the JCS.

For more information on the JCS, please visit www.gct-jcs.org