Plans lodged for £35m sustainable housing scheme in Gloucestershire

Plans to create new homes in a £35 million sustainable scheme in a Gloucestershire village have been submitted.

The 6.27 hectare scheme in Gotherington, just north of Bishops Cleeve, will provide a range of 50 two, three and five-bedroom homes and bungalows.

L&Q Estates, one of the UK’s leading major land promoters and developers, has sold the site off Ashmead Drive to Solihull-based premium housebuilder Hayfield Homes which has submitted a Reserved Matters Application to Tewkesbury Borough Council.

The development will be fossil-fuel free and each home will include solar PV panels, an air source heat pump, energy-efficient underfloor heating, increased insulation, water efficiency measures and an electric vehicle charging point.

These sustainability factors are in line with Hayfield’s A-rated, zero-carbon-ready design principles, which already exceed the government’s Future Homes Standard – a level of specification that will be mandatory for housebuilders to meet from 2025.

Andy Morris, Managing Director of Hayfield, said: “Our vision for this scheme has been to demonstrate how impressive a sustainable development can look and the positive impact it can achieve for local communities.

“That’s why in designing this scheme, not only have we harmonised our signature house designs to be in keeping with the village’s existing architecture, but to also introduce sustainable measures that will enable future residents to significantly lower their carbon footprint and household energy usage.”

Richard Edwards, Group Land and Planning Director at Warwick-based L&Q Estates, said the eco-friendly development would provide much-needed family homes in the area.

He said: “There will be 20 houses designated for affordable housing which will help to attract families to the area.

“There will also be a multi-use games area, a children’s play area and a multi-purpose community area suitable for village events created to provide a real focal point for Gotherington’s community.

“We believe this development will add to the bio-diversity of the area and the public open spaces will prove beneficial to villagers.”