Plans to build more homes on a former industrial site in Gloucester are forging ahead.

Matthew Homes has been finalising details of its development on the former Contract Chemicals land with Gloucester City Council.

It will see 43 more homes built off Bristol Road. Over thel ast few weeks the council has signed off at least three planning applications relating to details of the the travel plan, secure cycle parking, glazing, ventilation and sound reduction specifications.

Matthew Homes has also submitted details of the EV charging and the ground gas verification.

The company has spent years transforming three parcels of industrial land on Bristol Road into a housing estate known as Earls Park.

They were used for decades by numerous engineering and chemical businesses before becoming vacant and being earmarked by the council for housing and them remediated by Matthew Himes ready for building work.

The first phase of the huge project was on the St Gobain and Wellman Graham Industrial sites with the second taking place on part of the former Contract Chemicals site.

The third parcel of land will see the rest of the Contract Chemicals site redeveloped.

Plans to build 43 homes on the site were fought against by neighbouring business Avon Metals. It said the proposal was "fundamentally unacceptable" and "wholly incompatible with its near industrial neighbours' operations".

However councillors disagreed and approved the application 22/00293/FUL in September 2022 for a mixture of 13 homes and 30 flats on the 1.6 acre site.

There is no open space planned for the site and during discussions the council requested £220,000 to improve nearby open spaces.

The applicant said this would make the scheme unviable and instead will pay £27,000 towards affordable housing.

HISTORY

The Wellman Graham was used from at least 1944 for heavy engineering by Barron and Sons, Simon Barron and then Wellman Graham.

The Saint Gobain site was used since at least the 1930's by a variety of businesses including Van Moppes, Impregnated Diamond Products Ltd and Saint Gobain Abrasives Ltd which relocated to Staverton.

The Contract Chemicals site was used for chemical works as far back as 1923 and then from at least 1972 by ABM Industrial Products, ABM Chemicals Ltd, Rhone Poulenc and then Contract Chemicals which ceased trading there in 2001.