Planning and affordable housing

The Strategic and Local Plan (SLP)

Cheltenham Borough Council are working closely with Gloucester City Council and Tewkesbury Borough Council to adopt our new Strategic and Local Plan (SLP), in line with our latest timelines set out in the Local Development Scheme:

Cheltenham borough Local Development Scheme - pdf - 187 Kb

The delivery of affordable housing to meet local housing need will be a key priority of the new SLP. Ongoing work is underway by the three councils to reflect on consultation responses and update our current affordable housing policies. We are also working to produce robust evidence to support policy application. 

We will publish further information about affordable housing within the SLP as this becomes publicly available. 

The Joint Core Strategy (JCS)

Cheltenham’s current affordable housing policies are found within the Joint Core Strategy (JCS). This document provides high-level strategic planning policies covering development across Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury.

The Joint Core Strategy (Policy SD12) sets out on-site affordable housing requirements on new developments, as set out below:

• The Joint Core Strategy requires applicants to deliver 40% affordable housing on sites of 10 units or more in Cheltenham borough
• The Joint Core Strategy requires applicants to deliver 35% affordable housing on strategic allocation sites shared by both Tewkesbury and Cheltenham.
• Strategic allocation sites are large, mixed use residential sites allocated to meet the housing needs of Cheltenham and Tewkesbury. They include West Cheltenham (including Golden Valley) and North West Cheltenham (known as Elms Park)

The Joint Core Strategy also includes policy requirements that:

• Ensure affordable housing is sited appropriately to support mixed and balanced communities
• Require the design, appearance, build quality and materials of affordable housing to be equal to market homes
• Require new developments to meet local housing (including affordable housing need- covering the size type, size and tenure of new affordable homes)
• Outline arrangements for where affordable housing cannot be viably secured on new development

Planning guidance notes

The council, working with key partners, have also produced guidance notes to support the application of affordable housing policies within our Cheltenham Local Plan and Joint Core Strategy (JCS) during negotiations with applicants on new development. The JCS Affordable Housing Guidance note will be used during live development discussions to help improve understanding of affordable housing requirements and secure improved affordable housing delivery and related outcomes.

 

JCS affordable housing guidance note

The JCS affordable housing guidance note (AHGN) explains how the JCS authorities (Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury) will interpret and apply Local Plan and Joint Core Strategy policies relating to affordable housing provision on new developments during negotiations with applicants. 

JCS Affordable Housing Guidance Note (JCS AHGN)

First Homes technical advice note

The First Homes technical advice note (First Homes TAN) sets out how Cheltenham Borough Council approaches affordable home ownership provision on new developments, focusing on how First Homes will be delivered in practice during negotiations with applicants. 

First Homes Technical Advice Note (First Homes TAN)

This page will be updated as further guidance and policy is published. For further information about the documents found on this page, visit our First Homes page or contact [email protected]