Plans for a £70million housing development next to Gloucester Railway Station have been given the green light.

Eutopia Homes can now forge ahead with its landmark scheme to transform the eight acre brownfield site into 315 homes aimed at the city's growing workforce.

It bought the land from Network Rail in late 2021 and its planning application to Gloucester City Council was approved on Tuesday.

Named Great Western Yard, the new neighbourhood near Gloucestershire Royal Hospital will have 87 townhouses and 228 flats, housed in four blocks standing four and five storeys tall.

Eutopia said the development will be built in two phases, creating 490 direct and indirect jobs for the city and adding £10.1million to the local economy annually through expenditure from the new households.

Lorna Henderson, director at Eutopia Homes, said: "Great Western Yard will help address the stark supply-demand housing imbalance in Gloucester. The city has the foundations to become an economic focal point of the South West but suffers from a shortage of high-quality housing.

"We are investing in Gloucester for the long term through the provision of new housing, as well as direct and indirect support for the local economy, including through the creation of construction jobs.

"The council outlined its long-held ambition for the redevelopment of this Brownfield site and we have worked closely with them throughout this process. We look forward to reinventing this neglected site into one that serves a purpose for the local community."

The site was part of the 'Magnificent Seven' strategic plan for The Railway Triangle created by the Urban Regeneration Company back in 2006. It has been earmarked by the council as suitable for redevelopment for many years.

Eutopia plans to demolish the railway sidings, depot and commercial units on the site which are home to businesses such as Carlton Motors and Jays Timber.

They will be replaced with properties to buy, affordable, private rented homes and retirement homes available.

The scheme has been designed by award-winning Darling Associates Architects to "cater to the city's growing workforce."

Residents will enter the site via a new access on Great Western Road and have use of private and public gardens and play parks.

Eutopia said the 'greening' of the site would provide a 25% biodiversity net gain.

The plans show 145 parking spaces in various locations, with most of the houses being provided with one driveway space and on-street spaces for visitors controlled via a new controlled parking zone.

There will also be more than 500 cycle spaces to encourage walking over car usage.

Founded by Scott Hammond, Eutopia Homes specialises in transforming brownfield sites in core regional cities into mid-market homes for rent and sale. It has a £365 million pipeline of schemes in Birmingham, Salford and Exeter.