A recent planning application proposing the construction of approximately 750 new homes on green belt land just outside Cheltenham has been met with fierce criticism from residents and local representatives alike.
Submitted last month to Cheltenham Borough Council by planning and environmental consultancy tor&co, the proposal targets a 40-hectare green belt site on the northern edge of Cheltenham, near Swindon Village. Currently composed of two large and four smaller agricultural fields, the land is cherished for its open space and environmental significance.
The development aims to provide a mix of housing, including affordable units, alongside infrastructure improvements such as four new road access points, a play area, informal recreational spaces, allotments, and a community orchard. Despite these intentions, the scheme has drawn widespread objections on the council’s planning portal, with concerns about its potentially “devastating consequences” on the local environment and community.
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Swindon Village councillor Richard Lawler has called for a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), emphasizing that significant environmental effects are likely. While tor&co maintains the site does not fall within any designated sensitive areas under EIA regulations—such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest or national parks—it acknowledges important environmental factors needing further scrutiny. Among these are the loss of grassland, the presence of protected species like bats and reptiles in existing hedgerows, and the proximity of the development to the Swindon Village conservation area, only 80 meters away.
Residents have raised alarms about worsening traffic conditions and environmental degradation. Many highlight that infrastructure, particularly the railway bridge on Hyde Lane and the access road to Church Lane, lacks capacity for the expected surge in vehicles. Suggestions include introducing speed restrictions, traffic calming measures, and even revisiting road layouts to safeguard safety and minimize congestion.
Community members have been vocal in their opposition, with some criticizing the development as an unnecessary and harmful encroachment on vital green belt land. One resident remarked that increasing roughly 1,500 vehicles on already poorly maintained roads would significantly damage the area’s environment. There is a widespread call for developers to instead focus on brownfield sites within the county that are more suitable for such projects.
Concerns also extend to heritage and transport priorities; a number of residents fear the proposal compromises future plans for the Gloucestershire & Warwickshire Heritage Railway’s extension to Cheltenham Spa Train Station. The development would likely necessitate dismantling parts of the Honeybourne Line Greenway, which is viewed as detrimental to the town’s heritage and community interests.
Another local opposition underscores the absence of any public consultation on changing the green belt status of the land, arguing that without such dialogue the application lacks legitimacy.
The community continues to engage actively with the planning process via Cheltenham Borough Council’s Public Access system under reference 26/00833/SCREEN, urging others to express their views before decisions are made.