Ahead of a deadline for public consultation set for next Tuesday (September 10), Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC) has received a tide of objections from neighbours to the controversial and ambitious scheme on land at The Folley.

As reported in Punchline-Gloucester.com back in March, Aster Group, a Devizes-based charity housing association, has asked CBC for approval for the scheme on land which is seen as one of the town's last undeveloped spaces.

Set across a 15.32-acre parcel of open space north of Swindon Road, the project aims to deliver affordable housing for families one mile from the town centre. Approval would signal a windfall for the University of Gloucestershire, which owns the (currently) green space.

One resident, on Marsh Lane, sought to put the request into historical context: "This location was refused planning permission for development in both 1988 and 1991," they wrote. "My understanding is that on both occasions this was due to increased traffic concerns. These reasons should be reviewed to ascertain whether they still apply."

They added: "Since 1991, the Kingsditch Industrial estate, Gallagher Retail Park and CBC's recycling centre have all developed significantly. Residents from the north/west of Cheltenham use Swindon Road to access the facilities, resulting in Swindon Road bearing more traffic. Swindon Road is an unclassified road, meaning that it (should) be "of very low significance and to be only of very local importance". In my opinion it currently exceeds this classification and adding 120 homes will have an obvious impact further."

Concerns over the weight limit on Swindon Road also have been raised, the route having a 7.5 ton limit which begins at the eastern end at Marsh Lane.

One objector said the work would bring both both longterm and immediate impact: "Swindon Road and surrounding areas cannot cope with any more traffic. This would cause a serious danger around Gardeners Lane school. School drop offs and collections causes parking on pavements and street corner, creating multiple hazards and safety concerns. Parking is at premium across this area forcing people to park in a dangerous way."

They added: "Access in and out of Queen Street, Waterloo Street and Hope Street is hazardous with the existing level of traffic today, with poor visibility. There is also a weight restriction on Swindon Road, so how would all the materials and machinery get to the site?"

Another voiced a broad theme of the complaints: "The council needs to stop building on green spaces which are vital for mental health, wellbeing and local biodiversity. The council has climate goals it needs to meet and need to start thinking about the residents of St Paul's and this area. Additionally, car parking is difficult in this area and adding 122 new homes will make this already busy area difficult to access."

Residents in Stanwick Gardens also say their privacy will be compromised, while the lack of a community hub in the plan is also blasted: "Studies and statistics show that communities of this size benefit greatly from having somewhere residents can meet, undertake activities of celebrate a particular occasion. To not make provision for such a facility will isolate the residents within the estate."

Cheltenham Animal Shelter, on Gardners Lane, also told the consultation that it had not been approached by the developer.

It said: "The construction noise over the estimated two years of development will create substantial noise itself and will no doubt add extra challenges to our work in trying to rehabilitate many of our animal residents.

"Conversely fireworks are a huge problem for us and disturb our animals and cause much stress and suffering to them on a regular basis. This can result in difficulty with feeding and extra cleaning required as a result of the very stressed and agitated animals . With 122 new houses with gardens we fear the firework problem will only escalate."

Alongside a tide of issues voiced, a new document from CBC reveals the costs required from the developer to meet the impact of the work and these include £473,473 for 17 places in secondary education and £91,629 for 3.3 more.

The forecast also suggests the development will trigger a yield of demand for 34 primary places, with 17 more needed for secondary education needs. Additionally, a figure of £23,912 has been determined as a conditional payment for the development's impact on Cheltenham Library.

WIth no date set for further decision, planners will be weighing feedback against a recent Local Housing Needs Assessment which identified that, over the past five years, housing need in Cheltenham Borough has outstripped the supply of affordable homes by almost three times.

Specifically, the document says CBC needs to deliver 3,874 new affordable homes (or 194 per annum) between 2021 and 2041. And as of April 2023, the council had 2,596 households on its housing register.