The final draft plan names Cheltenham's housing sites, from 2,500 homes north west of the town to 271 at Cavendish House. Comments run from 16 November to 31 December.
Updated 15 November: all three councils have approved the plan for consultation. It runs from 16 November to 4pm on 31 December, with a drop-in at Regent Arcade on 27 November. Dates and how to take part.
The final draft of the plan that decides where homes go around Cheltenham until 2043 has been published. It makes room for 43,879 homes across Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury borough.
Cheltenham Borough Council will hold an extraordinary meeting at 6pm on Wednesday 11 November to vote on it. Its Cabinet meets at 1pm the next day to take the formal decision. (Council agenda, 11 November 2026)
If it goes ahead, a six-week public consultation must start no later than 16 November. This is the last formal chance to comment before an independent inspector examines the plan.
The sites on Cheltenham’s edge
The Strategic and Local Plan names 14 large “strategic” sites across the three council areas. Four are on the edge of the town, and two more are in villages just outside it.
| Site | At least | What else the plan asks for |
|---|---|---|
| Land adjoining North West Cheltenham | 2,500 homes | Local centre, school places; must link with the Elms Park development |
| West Cheltenham | 2,000 homes | Local centre, school places, a Gypsy and Traveller site of at least 15 pitches; must link with Springbank and Fiddlers Green |
| South Cheltenham | 1,500 homes | Local centre, school places; next to Up Hatherley, with a firm southern edge to keep a gap from Shurdington |
| East of Swindon Village | 1,000 homes | Local centre, school places, a permanent edge to the Green Belt |
| North of Bishops Cleeve | 800 homes | School places, green space |
| South West of Shurdington | 800 homes | Primary school places, green space |
Bishops Cleeve is about four miles north of the town centre, and Shurdington about three miles south-west. The figures come from policies A04 to A07, A12 and A15 of the plan. (Regulation 19 plan, Appendix 4.1)
Smaller sites inside the town
The plan also lists 29 smaller sites within or beside Cheltenham’s built-up area. Together they are put down for 2,705 homes. The largest are:
- Land at Hunting Butts (east), Evesham Road: 365 homes
- Cavendish House: 271 homes, with room for other uses
- Land at the Hunting Butts: 200 homes
- Land at Shaw Green Lane, Prestbury: 190 homes
- Land north of Branch Road: 150 homes
- Land south of Branch Road, The Reddings: 137 homes
Others include 100 homes at Portland Street, 60 at 210 Hatherley Road and 75 at The Paddocks, Swindon Lane. Every figure in the table is described as “indicative capacity”, so the final number on each site can differ.
Where the 43,879 come from
Most of the homes are already built or already have permission. The plan’s own breakdown is:
| Source | Homes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Built since 2023 | 5,000 | 11.4% |
| Already have planning permission or an older allocation | 14,550 | 33.2% |
| Strategic sites | 17,875 | 40.7% |
| Smaller sites in Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury towns | 4,361 | 9.9% |
| Smaller sites in villages | 2,093 | 4.8% |
The government’s requirement for the three areas is 42,775 homes over the 20 years. The plan finds 1,104 more than that as a buffer. It also allocates 192 hectares of land for jobs, including a site next to M5 Junction 10 and development at Gloucestershire Airport. (Council report, 11 November 2026)
Why the vote is now
The councils were given until 31 March 2027 to send the plan to the government, but only if the final consultation has ended by 31 December 2026. A minister set that condition in a direction of 23 October. If the date is missed, the report says, plan-making “has to start from the beginning” under a new system. We reported the delay on 27 October.
The 11 November vote is advisory. Under the council’s rules the decision to publish is the Cabinet’s, but the report says councillors are asked first because the published plan is the one the council intends to submit.
What it means for you
- Check whether a site near you is in the plan. The full plan and the concept plans for each strategic site are in the 11 November agenda.
- The consultation is different from earlier rounds. At this stage, comments must be about whether the plan is legally compliant and “sound”. An inspector reads them before the examination.
- You can speak at the meeting only if you have already asked. Public questions had to reach the council by noon on the seventh working day before the meeting.
- Sign up for alerts on the Strategic and Local Plan website, which will carry the consultation documents and the closing date.
Until the new plan is adopted, the Joint Core Strategy and the Cheltenham Plan still decide planning applications. Our Cheltenham planning news page follows the big sites.
We will report the result of the vote, and the consultation dates, as soon as they are published.
Sources
- Cheltenham Borough Council, Council agenda, 11 November 2026, item 9, and report of the Leader.
- Cheltenham Borough Council, Cabinet agenda, 12 November 2026, item 5.
- Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury councils, Regulation 19 Strategic and Local Plan 2023-2043: Table SS1, policies A04 to A07, A12, A15 and Table NSU1.2.
Have your say