Hundreds of homes planned at former cattle market

The site is currently derelict but was previously used as a cattle market

Hundreds of homes could be built on the site of a former cattle market.

Rooftop Housing Association wants to build 277 homes south of Gavel Way in St Oswalds, Gloucester. It has submitted a planning application to Gloucester City Council two years after an initial deal was signed to develop the site.

Alex McIntyre, MP for Gloucester, said it was great to see the development "gathering pace" but said he was "disappointed" only 56 homes of the planned homes will be classed as affordable.

Rooftop Housing said it was "committed" to affordable housing but needed to ensure the scheme was "financially deliverable".

The council has said at least 14,359 homes are required to be built in Gloucester by 2031 to meet demand.

If approved, the cattle market development would become part of a wider redevelopment of the area, which includes the St Oswalds Retail Park and existing housing.

Of the 277 homes proposed, 56 are set to be affordable homes

A three-week pre-application consultation was held in May and June, with leaflets sent to more than 2,000 addresses surrounding the site to get residents' views on the proposals.

Now the application has been submitted, another consultation will be held from 30 October.

A decision on the development, which includes plans for a village green with play equipment and landscaping, is expected to be made by the council early next year.

Mr McIntyre said it was "so important" that building on brownfield land was prioritised.

"While it's good to see this happening, I am disappointed that as things stand only 20% of the properties will be affordable housing," he added.

"With 4,500 families on the waiting list for social housing in Gloucester, this has to be a priority."

The development is due to include a village green

Rooftop Housing Group said the development did not get to the planning stage after the 2023 deal and has remained "underdeveloped for many years" because of "complex ownership and the need for land remediation".

"The proposed scheme complies with Gloucester City Council's policy for the site, which considers the costs of overcoming land remediation and other site constraints," a spokesperson for the firm added.

"To make the development viable, significant private sector involvement is required, resulting in a higher proportion of open market homes to help fund the affordable dwellings.

"We all share the aim of delivering as many affordable homes as possible, while ensuring the scheme is financially deliverable and turn this brownfield site to much-needed homes for Gloucester."

The council declined to comment.