A planning inspector has overruled civic chiefs in Cheltenham and given the green light to developers to begin constructing a development of 30 homes. The town’s former MP has said the decision “represents everything wrong with our planning system”.
Redrow Homes Ltd wants to develop two acres of land off Farm Lane and Church Road in Leckhampton, adjacent to their existing 377-home development, a proposal that was referred to the Secretary of State for Housing after the council rejected it. In total, almost 1,000 homes are set to be added in this area of the south of Cheltenham.
The government official agreed with Cheltenham Borough Council’s assessment that the 30-homes in Leckhampton would harm the appearance of the countryside, near the Cotswolds, and potentially have a detrimental effect on an ancient beechwood orchard within the grounds of the new homes. But these concerns were ultimately overridden by the need for additional housing in the town and the fact that much of the nearby land is being developed.
