A state-of-the-art medical centre to improve health care facilities in Bishop’s Cleeve is at the heart of a proposed development of 550 homes in the village.
The Cleevelands scheme is the subject of a public enquiry which commences on September 20, after Tewkesbury Borough Council failed to determine the application.
One of the main features of the proposal is a site to accommodate a new health centre, for the existing practice which currently operates from the Greyholme and Seven Posts GP Surgeries in Bishops Cleeve and Prestbury.
The new building could include up to 10 GP consulting rooms, three practice nurse rooms with facilities for minor operations and multi-functional space which could be used by visiting consultants, outreach teams, physiotherapists, chiropodists and other healthcare professionals.
There would also be space for district nurses, health visitors and voluntary sector workers. Other accommodation would include patient waiting areas, administration areas, meeting rooms, patient information centre, and ancillary support services. Ample parking will be provided.
A spokesman for the GP practice said: “The practice has been looking to improve the healthcare facilities for some time as the existing surgeries at Seven Posts and Greyholme are cramped, unsuitable for expansion and unable to meet the expanding role of Primary Care in the 21st Century.
“We hope to offer more services within the surgery, hence reducing the need for patients to travel to hospital for their care.
“Cleevelands provides an opportunity to deliver a higher level of healthcare for both existing and future residents of Bishop’s Cleeve and Prestbury.”
More information is available at the Cleevelands website www.cleevelands.co.uk
Welbeck’s Andrew Smith said: “We acknowledge the problems with the existing healthcare provision in Bishop’s Cleeve. In our various discussions and consultations with the local community, healthcare provision was a major issue which was often raised.
“We are keen to ensure that, if Cleevelands does go ahead, the scheme is able to provide and deliver the much needed improvement to healthcare in the local area.
“The proposal is to include a new GP facility as a key part of a proposed new High Street, which may also include a convenience store, retail and small business units and a dentist surgery.
“This follows a number of months of extensive consultations between Welbeck Strategic Land, the medical practice and NHS Gloucestershire.
“This would be part of the first phase of the development to ensure that the medical centre and other new facilities on the High Street would be available to the wider community as soon as possible as this is not simply a facility for the potential new Cleevelands residents.
“Welbeck believes in building sustainable communities – not just houses.”
The Cleevelands scheme also proposes 50 new allotments, a community sports hall, outdoor sports pitches and play areas.
The scheme also features an area of land, designed to hold water during heavy rainfall and prevent flooding, whilst also serving as an ecological and wildlife resource.
A proposed Section 106 Agreement also obliges Welbeck to contribute £1.75m to transport improvements, £3.4m to education, broken down to £191,694 to early years education, £1,430,780 to primary education and £1,832,704 to secondary education, and 40 per cent affordable housing.
Welbeck and rival developers Comparo are both seeking planning permission for housing developments on the edge of the village.
Welbeck want to build up to 550 homes on the Cleevelands site to the north west and Comparo want to build up to 450 homes to the north of Bishop’s Cleeve in what is known as the ‘Gotherington Gap’, to abut another Comparo development of 450 homes which has already been approved and is now being developed by Bovis Homes.
Developers of a proposed development of up to 550 homes in Bishop’s Cleeve, know as Cleevelands have appealed directly to Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for planning permission.
The original planning application for a mixed use sustainable urban extension, at Cleevelands, was submitted by Welbeck Strategic Land to Tewkesbury Borough Council on 11 November 2011 which can be viewed on the council’s website www.tewkesbury.gov.uk.
Welbeck decided to appeal directly to the Secretary of State because the application was not determined by the council within the statutory 16 week period and after rival developers Comparo took a similar route over a 450 home scheme to the north of the village on the Homelands Farm site, between Bishop’s Cleeve and Gotherington
The council will be establishing its views about Cleevelands at a meeting of the Planning Committee on 26 April 2011.
Both Welbeck’s and Comparo’s appeals will now be heard by an independent planning inspector reporting directly to the Secretary of State on at an inquiry commencing on 20 September 2011.
Andrew Smith, of Welbeck, said: “This was not the route we intended to take, but we have been forced into this by Comparo, who have effectively taken a short cut to take the borough council out of the equation. We have no choice but to follow suit particularly where the council failed to determine our application wthin the prescribed time period.
“We are still having communication with the district council and we remain willing to talk to local residents, Bishop’s Cleeve Parish Council and other organisations as which is the approach we adopted from the outset. We remain willing to take into account all views.”
Welbeck have also put the contents of a public exhibition on a dedicated Cleevelands website at www.cleevelands.co.uk explaining the many facets of the scheme and giving members of the public a further opportunity to voice their opinion.
Reports which have been submitted as the key documents accompanying the planning application are also available via the website.
A copy of the application is available for inspection at the offices of Tewkesbury Borough Council and Bishop’s Cleeve Parish Council.
Rather than just another housing estate, Welbeck Strategic Land is seeking permission for sustainable homes together with a high street containing buildings for start up or expanding businesses, local shops and, potentially, healthcare and nursery facilities.
Cleevelands will also include a community hall, extensive open space, areas for biodiversity improvements and allotments.
Andrew Smith of Welbeck said: “We appreciate that any significant new development always raises concerns within the existing community about the impact it might have on the people’s lives.
“We have always sought to be open with the local community about Cleevelands and maintained an important dialogue with the parish council and other key stakeholders. We remain keen to receive further comments and opinions.”
Click the documents below to view copies of the application, also available at Tewkesbury Borough Council and Bishop’s Cleeve Parish Council offices.
Application form
Estimated Size: 379KB
Covering Letter
Estimated Size: 44KB
Location plan
Estimated Size: 508KB
Access Plans
Estimated Size: 467KB
Planning Statement
Estimated Size: 527KB
Non Technical Summary
Estimated Size: 1538KB
Copies of the full Environmental Statement and application are available, at a cost of £10, from Star Planning and Development, telephone 0121 444 7554, or e-mail info@starplanning.co.uk
8th April 2011