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Tewkesbury Civic SocietyProtecting Tewkesbury's Architectural Heritage and ensuring today's developments add positively to it.
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Issues
Housing sites close to town
The JCS determines the Strategic Allocations, land where over 500 houses can be built and the only one identified that really affects Tewkesbury is at Ashchurch. That can be followed on a dedicated website shown in the ISSUE Tewkesbury Garden Town.
However, there is or was an agreement between TBC and Wychavon District that land north of Mitton in Wychavon and east of the B4080 may be allocated for initially 500 homes going towards TBC’s homes quota. The Inspector in her report and recommendations on the JCS pointed towards this strategic site possibility when referring to the TBC housing shortfall.
However, there is or was an agreement between TBC and Wychavon District that land north of Mitton in Wychavon and east of the B4080 may be allocated for initially 500 homes going towards TBC’s homes quota. The Inspector in her report and recommendations on the JCS pointed towards this strategic site possibility when referring to the TBC housing shortfall.
An outline application was made to Wychavon (see here) and their website says “decision pending”! A draft response at the time from TBC to Wychavon can be seen here.
A Wychavon Planning Committee meeting was held on 31/03/22 whereat it was deferred pending a site visit, a summary of the situation can be seen here in an email from TBC Cllr Sztymiak.
Along with many others, we have concerns about infrastructure overload and the possibility that the site be extended towards Bredon to accommodate a further 500 homes. We would also be very much against any development on the west (Avon) side further spoiling views of the river and water-meadows.
A proposition was floated for land between Tewkesbury and Coombe Hill to the west of the A38 for over three thousand homes (see here). This unattractive notion now seems off the table as the emerging Borough Plan nears adoption, but needs watching we feel.
Smaller sites that may be used for housing are identified within the Borough Plan. Those that are close to Tewkesbury or within it are those that interest us here.
In the submitted Borough Plan the allocations are:
A Wychavon Planning Committee meeting was held on 31/03/22 whereat it was deferred pending a site visit, a summary of the situation can be seen here in an email from TBC Cllr Sztymiak.
Along with many others, we have concerns about infrastructure overload and the possibility that the site be extended towards Bredon to accommodate a further 500 homes. We would also be very much against any development on the west (Avon) side further spoiling views of the river and water-meadows.
A proposition was floated for land between Tewkesbury and Coombe Hill to the west of the A38 for over three thousand homes (see here). This unattractive notion now seems off the table as the emerging Borough Plan nears adoption, but needs watching we feel.
Smaller sites that may be used for housing are identified within the Borough Plan. Those that are close to Tewkesbury or within it are those that interest us here.
In the submitted Borough Plan the allocations are:
Click on image above for link to whole Borough Plan.
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The Society has concerns about TEW1, this is centred on Stonehouse Farm just south east of the A38 Stonehills roundabout. We feel that despite site specific conditions (see here) this will blur the edge of the urban area which is quite sharply defined presently and could also be the thin end of a development wedge that might urbanise the whole ridge site down to Odessa.
Fortunately, their number does not include a site that has in the recent past been promoted by developers (Miller Homes), namely the Mythe where an application 16/01138/OUT was made for two hundred and fifty homes initially, withdrawn, revised, resubmitted then refused. |
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However, this possibility is again being explored, this time by The Pegasus Group who conducted a public consultation between 6 - 21/9/21 for 235 houses on much the same site. This repeated something Miller Homes did in 2015 (see results on their application under “Statement of Community Involvement”) and meets a requirement of any such Planning application. Pegasus say an application will be made and the results of this second consultation will be included in that!
However, there will be the opportunity for formal Public and Consultee comment when that application materialises. This is perhaps the best place to make comment. |
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This looks very like a case of “if at first you don’t succeed try, try again”. We notice that Pegasus claim to be helping solve the shortfall in allocated housing in Tewkesbury’s unadopted Borough Plan. An alternative view is that it is more an exploitation of temporary technical weaknesses in that emerging Plan!
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