North Place Car Park
PUBLIC CONSULTATION
Welcome
This consultation website has been prepared to inform you about Wavensmere Homes’ intentions to develop the North Place Car Park, Cheltenham.
The site comprises part (1.35ha) of land allocated within the Cheltenham Plan (Policy HD9) to deliver 153 dwellings as well as pedestrian and cycle links and a layout and form that respects the setting, character and significance of surrounding heritage assets.
Planning policy prioritises the development of “brownfield” and allocated sites which are within highly accessible locations and have convenient access to services and facilities that town centres provide, thus reducing the reliance of car to and from the site. As such, the site represents a great opportunity to deliver housing within a sustainable urban area whilst relieving pressure to develop greenfield land and within the countryside.
We hope you support us with the redevelopment of this underutilised site. Once you have reviewed the website, please provide feedback online via the comments form HERE, or write to us at the address below:
Pegasus Group,
21 Ganton Street,
London,
W1F 9BW
Please provide your comments by 5th January 2024
The Site
Site Context & Constraints
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North Place was formerly used as the main bus and coach station in Cheltenham.
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The site currently has capacity for approximately 500 spaces.
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Situated within the town’s ‘Core Commercial Area’ and in close proximity to its ‘Central Shopping Area’ where retail, amenities and services are directed towards.
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Situated within the Central Conservation Area and Old Town Character Area.
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The site borders the Grade II Listed St Margaret’s Terrace as well as Grade II Listed Formosa House and other locally listed buildings such Dowty House and some along Northfield Passage.
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Planning permission ref. 12/01612/FUL previously granted in 2013 for a large supermarket and 143 dwellings.
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Vehicular access points off North Place.
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Northfield Passage (pedestrian walkway) runs along the site’s northern boundary.
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Existing trees along St Margaret’s Road (A4019).
Development Proposals
Our Approach
Sustainable place-making is at the heart of the Development Team and Wavensmere Homes’ approach to this development. An important part of this is to optimise the reuse of brownfield land to deliver new housing in the context of the future development context whilst respecting the surrounding land uses.
The townscape character and appearance indicate townhouses would be most suitable here as well as higher density building forms along the busier and more-built up St Margaret’s Road (A4019). The design would heavily incorporate the Regency architectural style which is prevalent within the area, and this will be achieved using traditional building features and incorporating rows of terrace townhouses which retain consistent building lines as well as the grain of the built-form within the surrounding area. Modern features are also sought for inclusion to enhance the sustainability and energy efficiency of the development.
Careful regard will be given to ensure no overlooking exists between residential properties, any additional traffic and highways impact is kept to a minimum (as expected in town centre sites) and the design is inclusive, supporting pedestrian and cycle permeability, incorporating public realm benefits and providing a series of scattered green spaces.
Development Proposals
The development intentions for the site include:
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153 dwellings (including affordable housing) incorporated into a mix of 75no. 1 and 2 bed apartments and 3 bed townhouses and 78no. flats within a 4 storey apartment block.
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Townhouses will be dual aspect, with private parking facing one elevation and private terrace facing the other.
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Green links and newly landscaped areas to break-up the built-form, retain consistent building lines and enhance the public realm and amenity.
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Well-overlooked pedestrian and cycle connectivity through and around the site boundaries.
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Inclusion of enhanced landscaping to achieve biodiversity net gain, sustainable drainage and the opportunity for public art installation including the provision for murals to be created as part of the Cheltenham Paint Festival.
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Utilisation of the existing access point off North Place.
FAQ
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5. How will the local highway network cope with cars associated with the residential developments?The virtue of developing sites that comprise sustainable locations with good access to public transport services is that the reliance on car use is greatly reduced. Indeed, none of the apartments will be afforded any car parking spaces and the townhouses will only benefit from a single parking space. Therefore, the development is unlikely to alleviate worsening traffic and highway conditions on the roads, as well as air pollution associated with vehicle use. We will, however, be ensuring that each dwelling is served by each dwelling will be provided with cycle storage provisions and will produce a Travel Plan which will encourage residents to utilise sustainable modes of transport within the area.
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3. Will the application include affordable housing and if so, how much?Wavensmere Homes is seeking to deliver 20% affordable housing as part of the development, the exact amount of which is currently being investigated to ensure the scheme can be delivered without becoming unviable. Please remember that viability is an important factor and a material consideration in determining applications for residential development as well as understanding whether such schemes can be delivered.
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1. The existing car parking is necessary to the function of the town. How will you deal with its loss?The principle of the loss of the existing car parking has already been established through the allocation within the Cheltenham Plan (Policy HD9). As such, the development of the site is in accordance with Cheltenham’s strategic plan for the progression of the town.
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6. What environmental constraints must the development overcome?Fortunately, the North Place Car Park is relatively unconstraint from an environmental perspective. We are undertaking surveys with respect to contamination, trees, ecology, air quality and drainage. We are also undertaking a noise survey to ensure the amenities of future residents will be protected in this regard.
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2. Why are you not including the Portland Street Car Park as part of the application?This application will not extend to the Portland Street Car Park because Wavensmere Homes does not own this land.
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4. Will a maximum 4 storey building appear out-of-character with the prevailing building height and what will its likely visual impacts be?The height of the proposed apartment is similar to that for the retail supermarket approved under planning permission ref. 12/01612/FUL in 2013. Nevertheless, the busy and more built-up character of St Margaret’s Road (A4019) supports taller buildings. This is clear to see within the adjacent St Margaret’s Terrace, Brewery Quarter and Lewis Carroll Lodge. However, it is important the apartment block does not encroach nor detract from the significance of some of the historic buildings due to its height. For example, the Dowty House bell tower immediately to the west of the site. The 3 storey townhouses help the development integrate with the terrace housing to the north. Indeed, building heights steadily decrease from 4 storeys along St Margaret’s Road, to the 3 storey townhouses and finally to the 2 storey existing terrace houses along Northfield Passage. The townhouses are intentionally set-back from the existing terraces to provide breathing space and ensure they do not encroach or appear overbearing upon these buildings. The application will be support by a Townscape Visual Impact Assessment (TVIA) to assess the visual impact of the building from key site lines, including those perceived from the Listed Buildings and more sensitive parts of the Conservation Area.
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7. What are the benefits of the development?A residential development on a highly sustainable brownfield site such as this has a variety of social, economic and environmental benefits. The social benefits primarily involve the delivery of new homes which have convenient access to town centre services and facilities. Other social benefits include the creation of new open amenity space, including a Regency style pocket park, for use by residents of the development. Well-designed and attractive buildings will enhance the aesthetic and set a standard for high quality development within the area. There are short-term economic benefits associated with the construction of the development and longer-term benefits through the collection of taxes. The reuse of underutilised brownfield land, thus reliving pressure to develop greenfield land as well as the local highway network and in turn, air pollution of the area. The proposals will also relieve pressure on the existing drainage network by incorporating a sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS) to catch all surface water within the site. The site will also deliver green and ecological benefits by providing a vast net increase in tree and species planting as well as biodiversity gains. Finally, the development will incorporate energy reduction features across the site. The benefits of the development proposal will be taken into consideration by the local planning authority in determining the application.
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8. What about noise, dust and traffic during construction?Construction activities and their resulting impact (including effect on the amenity of residents) are factored into the planning process. The Development Team will prepare a ‘Construction Management Plan’ following any grant of planning permission in order to reduce the impact construction will have upon the lives of residents.
Your Comments
Comments and information received from this website or provided by way of a feedback form or leaflet, will not be used for any purpose other than consultation relating to this potential development. We never share any information provided with third parties outside our development team.
We hope that you have found this website easy to use and navigate, however if you are experiencing technical problems please report these by email to website@pegasusgroup.co.uk stating ‘North Place Car Park’ in the subject line. This email address is purely for technical issues and not for leaving comments about the proposals. Any comments relating to the development proposals that are sent to this email address will, unfortunately, not be recognised.
Next Steps
Thank you for your comments. We will take these into consideration in progressing the indicative development proposals.
We feel it is important to inform the public about the general development process and timeline moving forward. This is outlined below.
Public Consultation
December 2023 – January 2024
We are undertaking this public consultation process before we submit a planning application for full planning permission. We have also circulated leaflets to residents and businesses in the surrounding site area, containing a brief description of the proposed development, a link to this consultation website and a pre-paid comments slip.
This consultation will allow our Development Team to engage with local residents and the community to receive feedback on the proposed development scheme.
The application will be accompanied by a Statement of Community Involvement which will detail the feedback received with respect to this public consultation exercise and set-out how the development proposals have been adapted in response.
Planning Process
Application Submission: January / February 2024 (est.)
Determination: Summer 2024 (est.)
The application will require all relevant details of the social, transport, highways and environmental impacts to be finalised and submitted upfront. The application must also be submitted with detailed drawings, including the site layout, floorplans, elevations, streetscenes and visuals to understand the development.
You will be able to submit comments on the planning application directly to Cheltenham Borough Council once it is validated and live. The comments section of the project consultation website will also remain active so you can make further representations via this method which in turn will be passed onto the Council.
Post Planning
Submission of Post-Planning Applications: Winter 2024 (est.)
Determination: 2025 (est.)
Cheltenham Borough Council might also attach planning conditions to the planning permission which require details related to specific matters of the development and its operations to be submitted to and approved by it. This will most likely include the creation and subsequent adherence to a ‘Construction Management Plan’ in order to understand and mitigate against the construction activities and their resulting impact (including effect on the amenity of residents).
It will also be pertinent to secure any ‘planning obligations’ within a Section 106 Agreement. This will include the provision of education, community and highways infrastructure improvements directly related to the development.
Residents and businesses will have an opportunity to make representations on these applications.