Berkeley: Developer hoping to build 'garden village'

The site of the proposed development is currently agricultural fields

A developer is hoping to build a 2,750-house garden village, complete with a railway station and schools.

Sharpness Development LLP requested an environmental-impact assessment from Stroud District Council of the proposed site near Sanigar Lane in Newtown.

A decision from the council is said to be imminent.

If the developers want to proceed with the scheme, a further planning application will need to be submitted and assessed.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said that the proposed site would also include community facilities, extensive green infrastructure and sustainable urban drainage systems

The land is split into three sections, with the central part being around 480 acres (194 hectares) and bounded to the east by the Berkeley bypass and the railway, to the west by the Severn estuary and to the north and south by agricultural fields.

Sharpness docks in Berkeley

The north-eastern side is under 100 acres in size and is bounded to the south-west by the railway line, to the north by Bays Hill road and residential dwellings and to the east by farm buildings and fields.

On the south-eastern side which is just under 14 acres, the railway lies to the north, Berkeley bypass to the west, station road to the east and a field to the south.

According to the scoping report, the site comprises agricultural fields of various shapes and sizes, with a small patch of woodland in the centre and Saniger Lane running down through the right side.

Stroud District Council was expected to make a decision on the environmental impact assessment screening in July.

Developers are waiting to hear the district council's decision on the environmental impact assessment screening before they can proceed with a further planning application.