Plans to build 54 homes and a sewage pumping station 'beneath people's windows' have caused fury among locals who blasted the 'spiteful' proposals. The development, in Quedgeley, Gloucestershire, has been given the green light by councillors despite serious concerns raised by neighbours.
Concerns Over Safety and Design
The proposal has been described as an 'accident waiting to happen' due to fears that hundreds more cars will use a 'dangerous' road. The new plan includes a mix of affordable and shared ownership houses, including eight one-bedroom flats, a pair of two-bedroom bungalows, 16 two-bedroom properties, 22 three-bed houses, five four-bedroom homes, and a single five-bed dwelling alongside a sewage pumping station.
The proposals have met with fury from neighbours, with 18 writing to object to the development. They have even criticised the postcode of the new site, which was branded 'insensitive'.
Resident's Long-Standing Opposition
One objector, Nick Hartshorn, said he had lived next to the site on Lynton Fields for 28 years and had spent 27 years nervously waiting for what could fill the empty space, once a chicken farm. Mr Hartshorn said the plans were 'spiteful', as the sewage plant would be placed '10 metres from our home, directly beneath our window'. He noted that previous proposals for a car boot sale were withdrawn due to access onto the 'dangerous' country road surrounding the site.
Speaking to Gloucester City Council's planning committee, he said: 'Every previous proposal has been rejected due to highway safety; nothing has changed but the way our concerns are being treated has changed dramatically. After 27 years of pressure, this application feels particularly spiteful as the pumping station is placed 10 metres from our home, directly beneath our window. With a 24-hour operational plant use, noise, vibration, odour and maintenance traffic, no assessment has been provided to demonstrate that this will not harm us.'
Mr Hartshorn also complained that 'socially rented homes' in the development would be 'clustered' against his home. He hit out at the site's proposed new postcode, which residents believe to be mocking them with its final two letters. He said: 'The road layout suggests the future linkage is directly under our bedroom and the new postcode GL2 2FU shows a level of insensitivity that is frankly astonishing.' He added: 'It is troubling that the same constraints are now being treated as acceptable. Planning decisions must be consistent, evidence-based and grounded on the physical realities of the site, not on who is funding the development.'
Developer's Perspective
Salford-based affordable housing firm Bowsall Developments Limited and Birmingham housing association Platform Housing Limited are behind the project. They said it was a 'unique opportunity to regenerate a vacant site' and provide much-needed affordable homes. However, residents wrote to the council, concerned that the quiet road on the outskirts of Quedgeley would become a 'concrete jungle'.
One wrote: 'I think adding more social housing in this area is a joke. Kingsway is bad enough as it is, what a way to make crime worse in the area.' Multiple concerns were raised about Naas Lane, which would provide access to the new development. One resident stated: 'Naas Lane is probably one of the most dangerous roads I have come across. The road is barely wide enough for two cars. The proposed entry point of the site is located on a blind bend. Any vehicle pulling out of the site will encroach on the opposite side of the road due to the width of the current road, creating a situation for a fatal accident waiting to happen.'
Mr Hartshorn also raised the issue of Naas Lane, adding: 'Over the years, applications for commercial use, mixed use, most recently a car boot sale were refused because access onto Naas Lane was considered far too dangerous.'
Councillors Divided
Speaking at the meeting, Councillor Andy Lewis shared their concerns, saying the road would become a 'rat run' and a 'nightmare'. Despite those concerns, he said there were no real planning reasons to refuse permission and said the homes are desperately needed. Councillor Karen James said the waiting list for affordable homes in the area has nearly reached 5,000 people.
Councillor Alastair Chambers was the only councillor not to support the development, saying the plan was ill-thought-out. He said: 'For me, it looks like overdevelopment, they have squeezed everything into that space, it is like a little rat-run. We need play areas, open spaces, there is nothing there at all. If anyone uses this road, which I do regularly, it is a very dangerous road. There are cars speeding down it and minimal spaces to pass by. And you are looking at 200 plus car movements a day in what is already a very congested small lane. The pumping station, I appreciate there has been some comments that it doesn't smell. When you pump poo - it does smell, you can dress it however you want, it is a concern.'
Joanne McGrath, a planning consultant on behalf of the development, said the scheme would be a solution to families 'in need of a quality affordable home'. The rest of the committee voted to grant permission. Gloucester City Council has been contacted for comment.
