Plans have been submitted to Tewkesbury Borough Council for another 100 new homes in Bishop's Cleeve.

The 7.5ha 'North Clevelands' site is to the north of the village, west of Evesham Road and close to the recent Clevelands residential development.

The proposals are for 60 open market homes and 40 affordable homes.

The plans also include new access from Evesham Road, new footpaths and cycle routes, areas of open space including play space, new landscaping and habitat creation and a drop-off car park for the proposed new primary school in the area.

The site has easy access to new facilities provided on the Clevelands development, including a supermarket, as well as facilities in the centre of Bishop's Cleeve and nearby Gotherington.

Mature trees and hedgerows on the site will be retained and protected from damage, unless required for access or health and safety reasons.

In a letter to the council, LRM Planning on behalf of Persimmon Homes said: "Currently, Tewkesbury Borough Council cannot demonstrate a 5-year housing land supply as required by the National Planning Policy Framework; the latest published figure being 3.24 years (dated October 2023).

"As demonstrated in their Interim Housing Position Statement (IHPS), there is a need to deliver residential development on non-allocated land, such as that proposed by these applications, to resolve this shortfall.

"The December 2023 Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment assessed the application site and concluded that it was available and potentially suitable, achievable and developable for housing, to be delivered in a 5-year period subject to further technical assessment and design work.

"Located adjacent to an established Rural Service Centre, the application site is a sustainable and suitable location for residential development, consistent with the Joint Core Strategy's spatial strategy and will address the borough council's significant shortfall in housing land supply. The residential scheme aligns with the key criteria set out in the IHPS and should therefore be supported by the borough council."

However, the site is not identified in the statutory Development Plan for housing - including the Joint Core Strategy (JCS) for Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury; the Tewkesbury Borough Local Plan; and the Gotherington Neighbourhood Plan. As a countryside location, the proposed development is contrary to the countryside policies.

In its Design and Access Statement, Persimmon concludes: "The development proposal demonstrates a considered approach that seeks to retain and enhance the site's existing landscape features.

"Development would not cause notable detriment to the wider panoramic views achievable. The proposals would not result in notable, long-term harm to landscape character or visual amenity."