Cheltenham car park homes plan set for approval

The 147 new homes would be built on the North Place car park

A bid to build 147 homes on a Cheltenham car park is set to be approved.

Wavensmere Homes Limited wants to build the houses and apartment blocks on the North Place car park near the town centre.

Cheltenham Borough Council officers have recommended the planning committee approve the plans at a meeting on Thursday.

The officers said in a council report the harm to designated heritage assets and loss of a protected tree would not "demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the scheme", despite objections from one community group.

The site is currently being used as a surface-level car park, but Wavensmere Homes, in collaboration with BBS Capital, said it wants to develop this "long unloved eyesore".

In 2013, Cheltenham Borough Council awarded planning for a large supermarket and 143 new homes for the site, which was later suspended.

The current proposal includes 29 affordable homes, a four-storey apartment block, a public open space and improved connectivity between the town centre and Pittville Park.

Architects Glancy Nicholls said said plans for the £55m the apartments have been designed to complement the town's regency architecture.

The site is currently being used as a car park

Ben Clarke, technical director of Wavensmere Homes, said the amended plans were submitted earlier this summer to address the feedback on heritage and conservation impact to the Grade II* listed St Margaret's Terrace.

"We have consequently reduced the scale and mass of the apartment block and introduced a range of finer architectural details found locally."

Cheltenham Civic Society had described one part of the plans as being a "monstrous carbuncle".