The Gloucester, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Joint Core Strategy (GCT JCS) ground to a halt in October 2016 after Tewkesbury Borough Council refused to back the draft over concerns of a large allocation of homes in Twigworth.
The three councils have been working hard ever since to come to a resolution and are finally in a position to announce dates for the reporting of the main modifications to all three JCS councils on the following dates:
- Tewkesbury Borough Council: 31.01.2017
- Gloucester City Council: 06.02.2017
- Cheltenham Borough Council: 10.02.2017
What is the GCT JCS?
The GCT JCS is a key document, which will set out the economic, housing and development aims of the three authorities up to 2031.
This document, whilst still only a draft, has taken 8 years to get to this stage. In May 2015 hearings commenced on the proposed GCT JCS and whilst we have written about the positive progress of the JCS during this period, progress of the plan was halted in October 2016.
What happened?
Tewkesbury Council refused to back the latest draft plan because it included building 1,363 dwellings at Twigworth. Its members rejected the site allocation after some feared it would represent a flood risk. The situation was further complicated when it emerged that another site in the plan, the army camp at Ashchurch, looked in doubt. This latter site had been earmarked for 2,125 houses but the Ministry of Defence said it would only release part of the land for 550 dwellings.
Mike Dawson, chief executive for Tewkesbury Borough Council and senior responsible officer for the Joint Core Strategy, has said in response to this issue;
“The JCS is a hugely important plan that will shape the future of Cheltenham borough, Gloucester city and Tewkesbury borough and will guide housing and economic growth for the future. Therefore, we will be working together closely in the next few weeks and aim to bring a report to the three councils in January which will deliver a sound plan.”
Moving forward:
We hope that the anticipated report, to be provided later this month, will provide all local authorities with the reassurance that the plan can move forward with a view to adoption early next year. As the latest update highlighted, if the houses are dropped from Twigworth then they will have to be built somewhere else in the county.
Until then, all local authorities will continue to refer to their saved local plans for proposed developments.
About us:
Plainview Planning provide expert planning support across the developer, commercial and householder sectors. If you have a site you feel may be suitable for development and want to better understand how the emerging GCT JCS may impact on your development proposals, contact our team today to see how we can best assist via cheltenham@plainview.co.uk or 02142 501003.
You can read the original press release here: Statement: Update on the Joint Core Strategy – 4 November 2016 and keep up to date with the GCT JCS here: http://www.gct-jcs.org/
IMAGE SOURCE: GCT JCS 2013