The row over future policing at the £1billion Elms Park development continues.

Chris Nelson, Gloucestershire's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), has launched a scathing attack on planners after the outline masterplan for up to 4,115 homes was approved by two council committees last week.

He is angry that officers seem "more concerned about bats than the police" and their report to councillors was "clearly flawed".

He is angry the decision was not delayed so more time could be spent considering Gloucestershire Constabulary's case for a new police station  on the development- which he previously said had been "ignored".

"Without that money, residents in Elms Park and the surrounding areas will suffer a diminished service from the Constabulary, likely leading to higher crime levels and anti-social behaviour," he said.

However, council leaders have hit back saying police have had a decade to provide the evidence for extra funding but did not do so.

They said Gloucestershire Constabulary is projected to receive approximately £1m per year of new council tax to provide police service to Elms Park.

Cheltenham Borough Council and Tewkesbury Borough Council approved the plans for 215 hectares of land near J10 of the M5 last Thursday (May 29).

Planning committees from both authorities met separately and voted to give the green light to developers Bloor Homes and Persimmon Homes as recommended by a joint report from council officers.

It will take 20 years to build Elms Park and once complete it will include a mixture of more than 4,000 homes, a 25-acre business park, 100-200-bed hotel, a doctors surgery, sports hub, community centre and three schools.

Mr. Nelson said: "Elms Park seems to be a well-designed development, with something in it for everyone - apart from the police.

"I make no criticism of members, my frustration is with planning officers and the planning system. Officers seem more concerned about providing for the needs of bats than the police.

"Their [planning officers] report is clearly flawed in how they have handled our legitimate claim for Section 106 financial support for police infrastructure.

"We will try one last time to point this out to the authorities, but if that fails, we will consider a Ministerial call-in or judicial review, to secure the £1.5m needed to support a police presence in the new development."

Work on Elms Park started in 2008 and an outline application was first submitted in 2016. There were more than 180 public comments on the application and more than 30 from consultees.

Gloucestershire Constabulary said it first became aware of plans in 2014 and after an updated application was submitted in 2022, planning officers failed to engage with it over how the impact on policing and community safety could be mitigated.

Cllr Rowena Hay, leader of Cheltenham Borough Council, and Cllr Richard Stanley, leader of Tewkesbury Borough Council, said in a joint statement: "The Elms Park development has been in the making for well over a decade and there has been ample time for the police to provide the evidence required to justify their request for extra funding.

"We have already informed the PCC that they did not provide evidence to show what additional resources were needed to police the new development above and beyond the provision that already exists in the area. Without this evidence, the planning authorities are not able to release section 106 funding; this is a legal requirement, not a barrier put in place by the councils' planning officers."

They said if housing growth in the wider area means a new police station is needed in the future then the police could bid for a grant from the Community Infrastructure Levy Fund.

The statement added: "As part of any bid, the PCC would still need to provide and justify evidence of need to meet the legal tests, including whether or not there are existing police stations in the local vicinity that have the capacity to house the police requirements for the new Elms Park development."