'Enormous' shopping outlet car park plan rejected

Robert Hitchins Limited wanted permission to build a multi-storey car park at the Cotswolds Designer Outlet

Plans for an "enormous" multi-storey car park at a shopping outlet near the M5 have been rejected.

Robert Hitchins Ltd had wanted to build a 609-space car park at the Cotswolds Designer Outlet, located just off the A46 at junction nine of the motorway near Tewkesbury.

Officers at Tewkesbury Borough Council said it would not be in keeping with the scale of the recently-opened retail outlet and councillors agreed as the plans were rejected.

However, separate plans put forward by the same company for a car park at Natton House, Ashchurch, were unanimously approved during the meeting on Tuesday.

Under the rejected multi-storey plans, Robert Hitchins Ltd had applied for permission to build a 51ft (15.5m) tall, five-storey car park on land north of Tirle Brook, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Council officer Sarah Smith said the structure would "undermine the attractive... buildings already in place.

"The number of storeys provided in this application and the impact it would have on the character and appearance of the retail outlet village itself is considered unacceptable in design terms," she added.

Councillor Mel Gore agreed with the officer, adding: "I do feel this is going too far. It's enormous and it doesn't fit within the landscape."

Another councillor, Mary Jordan, said "the design of the outlet centre would be totally ruined" if the plans were approved.

While those plans were unanimously rejected, a second application from Robert Hitchins Ltd for a car park in Ashchurch were approved.

The Natton House scheme will involve the demolition of existing buildings to create a surface level car park and single-storey decked car park with 607 spaces.