The Tewkesbury Borough Council Planning Committee convened to discuss several development applications, ultimately approving three and refusing one. Discussions centered on a proposed discount food store in Bishops Cleeve, a multi-story car park in Tewkesbury, a car park in Ashchurch, and a self-build dwelling in Gretton.

Development Control Decisions

The committee made decisions on four planning applications:

• Land East Of A435 And North Meadow Lea, Cheltenham Road, Bishops Cleeve - Application 23/00990/FUL for the erection of a Class E discount foodstore was approved for delegated permit.
• Land South Of The A46 And North Of Tirle Brook, Ashchurch Road, Tewkesbury - Application 24/00449/APP for a reserved matters application for the erection of a multi storey car park was refused.
• Natton House, Natton, Ashchurch - Application 24/00890/FUL for the demolition of existing buildings and structures and erection of a surface level car park and single storey decked car park was approved for delegated permit.
• Myrtle Cottage, Gretton Road, Gretton - Application 24/00675/FUL for technical details consent for the erection of a self-build dwelling was approved for permit.

Land East of A435 and North Meadow Lea, Bishops Cleeve

The committee approved the application for delegated permit for the erection of a Class E discount food store with associated access, parking, servicing, and landscaping on land east of the A435 and north of Meadow Lea in Bishops Cleeve. The proposal includes a 1,782 sqm store with a 1,315 sqm retail sales area, 108 customer parking spaces, motorcycle spaces, and a cycle shelter.

The committee considered that the proposed development would not result in the loss of employment land, as the site is currently an under-used car park. They also considered that the proposal would generate significant benefits to the Bishops Cleeve area, including increased shopping choice, employment opportunities, and associated investment.

The committee considered a sequential test¹ and impact assessment² submitted by the applicant. A third party review carried out by RCA Regeneration consultants concluded that the development proposal had passed the sequential test and that it was reasonable to conclude that the proposal would not result in a significant adverse impact on the Bishops Cleeve Rural Service Centre. The committee considered objections from Tesco Stores Ltd and Lidl Great Britain Ltd, but concluded that the evidence submitted suggested that there was overtrading of existing foodstores and that the new store would deliver important benefits in terms of greater competition and choice of store for consumers.

The committee agreed to delegate authority to the Director of Growth to grant planning permission subject to conditions and a Section 106 agreement³ in respect of securing the monitoring required for the onsite biodiversity net gain and Travel Plan requirements.

Land South of the A46 and North of Tirle Brook, Tewkesbury

The committee refused application 24/00449/APP for a reserved matters application for the erection of a multi-storey car park on land south of the A46 and north of Tirle Brook in Tewkesbury. The proposal was for a five-storey car park with 609 spaces, intended to serve customers of the Factory Outlet Centre.

The committee considered that the design and scale of the multi-storey car park was overly prominent, particularly in its bulk and height, and that it would undermine the attractive and well-defined articulation of the retail outlet buildings themselves. They also considered that it would have a negative visual impact on the immediate landscape setting, the Tirle Brook riparian corridor, and the wider context of the site.

The committee considered that there was insufficient space to include large tree planting around the proposed car park, which over time could have served to screen parts of the building, and therefore the building would remain as a stark visual intrusion into an otherwise relatively low level public realm area of car park/highway/planted street verges.

Natton House, Natton, Ashchurch

The committee approved the application for delegated permit for the demolition of existing buildings and structures and erection of a surface level car park and single storey decked car park, comprising 607 spaces, with associated access, infrastructure works and landscaping at Natton House, Natton, Ashchurch. The proposal would effectively replace the displaced car parking spaces of the temporary car park which is due to be built over through Phase 2 of the Retail Outlet Centre and also it is understood to provide an alternative parking option to the Multi-Storey Car Park proposed under Planning Reference 24/00449/APP.

The committee considered that the proposed development would provide accessible car parking for the Retail Outlet Centre and would support the business needs of the overall development and help promote growth within the local economy of Tewkesbury Borough.

The committee considered that the design and layout of the proposed development was acceptable and that the proposals were acceptable from a visual and landscape impact perspective.

The committee agreed to delegate authority to the Director of Growth to grant planning permission subject to conditions and a Section 106 agreement in respect of securing the monitoring required for the onsite biodiversity net gain. In addition, this application will be subject to a Section 106 Agreement allowing only one parking option from the two applications under consideration to be implemented.

Myrtle Cottage, Gretton Road, Gretton

The committee approved the application for permit for technical details consent for the erection of 1no. self-build dwelling with associated landscaping at Myrtle Cottage, Gretton Road, Gretton. The application was made pursuant to Permission in Principle application ref: 23/00637/PIP.

The committee considered that the design, size, scale and materials of the dwelling would be in-keeping with the character and appearance of the area and the setting of the Gretton Conservation Area would be preserved.

The committee considered that the proposed development would result in acceptable levels of amenity for future residents of the development and the nearby existing residents.

The committee agreed to grant planning permission subject to conditions.

Current Appeals and Appeal Decisions Update

The committee noted the current appeals and appeal decisions update.