Plans to build 350 homes on land off Shurdington Road have been approved by the Secretary of State.

The decision comes after Cheltenham Borough Councils was unable to demonstrate a five-year housing supply.

It echoes the situation in Tewkesbury where several appeals have been pushed through in recent months for the same reason .

It means Miller Homes can now forge ahead with building an estate with 40% affordable housing with 140 homes made up of 41 social rented homes, 57 affordable rented homes and 42 shared ownership homes.

The other homes will be a mix of 49 two-bed, 116 three-bed, 40 four-bed and five five-bed.

Cheltenham council bosses previously said Micheal Gove pulling rank  to decide the application was "bizarre" and "confusing".

Members of Cheltenham Borough Council planning committee said they had been kept in the dark about why he had decided to do so but Cllr Paul Baker (LD, Charlton Park) chair of the committee, said: "If I was cynical I would say it was political."

The original application (20/01788/FUL) for the 350 homes was first submitted in October 2020 and garnered more than 200 objections from residents- many of which related to concerns about road safety and congestion.

It was recommended for approval by officers but the committee threw out the proposals for the Diocese-owned land in May 2022.

They said the design was too damaging to the environment because each home contained a gas boiler and went against its 'Climate Emergency' commitment to become net zero by 2030.

Miller Homes appealed and the Planning Inspectorate held a hearing on July 4, 2023.

But during the course of the appeal process the inspector was informed they no longer had the authority to make the decision and it would be made by Mr Gove.

Yesterday (Feb 27) the Planning Inspectorate issued its decision letter stating the appeal was allowed.

The decision was made by Simon Hoare MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for

Local Government, on behalf of Mr Gove.

He agreed with the decision of Planning Inspector Zoe Raygen that Cheltenham Borough Council could not demonstrate the required five-year supply of housing land.

He said another Inspector had concluded at an appeal in March 2023 that the council could only demonstrate a 2.9 year supply.

He said this "triggered" a presumption in favour of sustainable development and added: "The Secretary of State agrees with the Inspector that the provision of housing is a very significant benefit of the scheme.

"He considers that substantial weight should be attached to the benefits of housing delivery, including the 40% affordable rate."

While concerns raised locally about the effect on the Cotswolds AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) were considered, the secretary agreed with the inspector that the proposal would "nestle into and be viewed as part of existing development" and so views of the countryside would not be harmed.

The council has six weeks to challenge the validity of the decision by the Secretary of State by making an application to the High Court.

Tracey Birkinshaw, director of community and economic development for Cheltenham Borough Council said: "When Cheltenham Borough Council considered this scheme we did not accept that the developer had gone far enough in supporting the council's commitment to becoming a net zero carbon council and borough by 2030. We considered the development industry could do better and that our residents deserved better in future proofing our new homes and mitigating the impact of development.

"We are pleased to be now in receipt of the Secretary of States decision on this matter as this development will make a significant contribution both to helping us deliver against our five year housing requirement and importantly much needed affordable homes that are more environmentally friendly.

"Since the development of this scheme the council has approved a Climate Change Supplementary Planning Document to drive change in sustainable design and construction, and reduce the negative environmental impacts of the property development industry. We are very proud of this policy work and as we develop the Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury Strategic and Local Plan will be looking to strengthen our policy position further."

"Through this application we will see biodiversity net gain of over 14%, an increase against the current policy requirement of 10%, again, this is a step in the right direction and sends a clear message to the development industry that striving for greater environmental improvements is the direction of travel."