New homes, school and GP surgery set to be built

More than 1,000 homes will be built on the edge of Cheltenham

More than 1,000 homes, a school, GP surgery and community centre are set to be built on the border of a town.

The development, which will include 1,100 properties spread across 170 acres near Springbank, was approved by Cheltenham Borough Council on Tuesday.

The developers have also agreed to pay £5m towards improvements to junction 10 of the M5.

Councillor Garth Barnes, chairman of the planning committee, said: "It's a really important planning opportunity for Cheltenham and to provide for junction 10, which I think is often sort of pushed to the one side."

Developers Brighton STM Developments Ltd and Midlands Land Portfolio Ltd will also build a primary school, nursery, convenience shop, sports pitches and walking and cycling routes.

Just under 23% (252) of the homes will be affordable, which is under the council's target of 35%.

Speaking at the Municipal Offices, councillor Adrian Bamford said Springbank is a "proud and tight-knit community".

"We look out for each other, but we also face long standing challenges of restricted services, not enough accessible green space, and a lack of truly affordable housing," he added.

Councillor Barnes said it is "not as much affordable housing as we would like", but he accepted the developers said a higher number was not viable, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"Clearly the housing part of the thing is extremely critical. It will help with our five-year land supply," councillor Barnes added.