The Joint Core Strategy (JCS) is the strategic development plan between Gloucester City Council, Cheltenham Borough Council and Tewkesbury Borough Council. It sets out the land allocated for housing and employment for the period of 2011 – 2031.

The JCS have published an ‘Issues and Options’ consultation. This consultation will review a number of key points including delivery times, housing, employment and infrastructure. This gives land owners the opportunity to put forward their land for potential housing or employment sites. The current consultation window runs from Monday 12th November 2018 until Friday 11th January 2019.

A number of sites have already been allocated, however none of the councils have met their housing provision targets yet.  The JCS identifies a need for a total of 31,830 new homes in the area between 2011 and 2031. Of these required new homes, Tewkesbury have 103 dwellings yet to assign, Gloucester have 1,360 yet to assign and Cheltenham have a further 4,849 to assign.

You do not need to have planning consent to put your land forward to the SALA but if your site is chosen to be included within the JCS, the chances of gaining planning consent in the short to medium term will be much greater. If you do not put your land forward for assessment now it is unclear when you will next have the opportunity to do so. Furthermore gaining planning consent on a non-JCS site is likely to be difficult.

The stages of application are:

  • Put land forward for Strategic Assessment of Land Availability (SALA)
  • Site is then put forward to Gloucester City Council, Cheltenham Borough Council and Tewkesbury Borough Council and may be included within the JCS
  • If the site is included within the JCS you will still need to go through the formal planning application process but your chances of success will be improved

The deadline for putting forward new site, is Friday 11th January 2019. If you have a site that you believe is suitable for housing and or employment please contact us to discuss your options.

Contact: andrewtroughton@fts.carverknowles.co.uk  or aislynfirth@fts.carverknowles.co.uk