Wavensmere Homes and BBS Capital have received unanimous approval from Cheltenham Borough Council’s planning committee for the redevelopment of the North Place surface car park, located within Cheltenham’s Central Conservation Area. Arkle Court will comprise 147 houses and apartments, designed to sensitively enhance the street scene, including Grade II* listed St Margaret’s Terrace.
The £55m plans for Arkle Court have been designed by nationally acclaimed architects Glancy Nicholls to complement the town’s Regency architecture and create a sustainable new community in the heart of the town centre. Construction for the 75 three-bedroom townhouses and 72 one- and two-bedroom apartments is expected to commence within a matter of months, once the S106 agreement for the regeneration scheme is in place.
Extending to over 3.5-acres, the redevelopment will include multiple areas of high quality landscaped open space, with the opportunity for a public art installation to be created as part of the Cheltenham Paint Festival. Vehicular, pedestrian and cycle access is from North Place, less than half a mile from the town centre’s historic core.
James Dickens, Managing Director of Wavensmere Homes, said: “There has been a desire to redevelop this key site for Cheltenham for over a decade. Receiving the green light from the Borough’s planning committee will enable us to inject £55m into delivering much-needed energy efficient homes and continue the renaissance of the wider St Paul’s area.
“It has taken years of partnership working to get to this point and our delivery will showcase what can be achieved when the Borough Council and developers work together to unlock complex regeneration schemes for the benefit of Cheltenham. Our team will continue to work with the Council and other stakeholders on the pre-construction details, to enable us to start work on site as soon as possible.”
Formerly the site of Black & White’s Coach Station, in 2013, the Council awarded planning for a large supermarket and 143 new homes, which never materialised. The new designs for Arkle Court are gas-free with a target A-rated energy performance. Wavensmere Homes’ specification of local materials will help to reduce carbon footprint, along with an array of energy saving and generating technology, including air sourced heat pumps, solar PV panels and centralised mechanical ventilation heat recovery systems. Each house will also benefit from dedicated parking which will be served by 7kW EV car chargers.
Nick Spencer, Director, and Co-Founder at BBS Capital said: “We are thrilled this landmark brownfield site can now finally be redeveloped to deliver highly sustainable family houses and apartments, with over 100 construction jobs to be created in the process.
“While the viability assessment for the project did not allow for 20% affordable housing, we will proudly be delivering this allocation on-site, along with a contribution of over £1m towards upgrades towards local education, libraries and the Chilterns Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation. In addition, a high proportion of the new homes will be aimed at first time buyers and young families, with attainable prices set significantly below prime Cheltenham values.”
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