Ward / Postcode / GeoRef

Kingsholm and Wotton / GL1 3PZ / E: 384152 N: 218365

Gross Site Area:

4.3 ha.

Allocation:

Approximately 200 residential dwellings.

Description and overview

Large brownfield site; an area of railway sidings close to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital on the junction of Great Western Road and Horton Road. The site offers the opportunity for a higher density scheme near the city centre and transport hub.

Site specific requirements and opportunities

Design and layout

• Create a well-defined built frontage to Great Western Road.
• Create a green link between Great Western Road and the southern end of Horton Road.
• Increase tree coverage and create a more meaningful useable open space that connects to the hospital and could be utilised by hospital visitors.
• Provision of appropriate crossing point to access open space.

Open space

• The site includes existing green space known as the 'Great Western Road Rest Gardens'. This should be included and expanded within the wider redevelopment, to provide a functional area of open space including a Locally Equipped Area for Play.

Highways and access

• Implementation of a new strategic cycle and footway linking to city centre and transport hub to the west and the new residential development at the Allstone site to the east.

Historic environment

• Built heritage and ecological assessments.
• Presence of historic steam engine shed is a non-designated heritage asset.

Biodiversity

• Creation of green corridor following the proposed walking/cycle route from Horton Road (with links to the Allstone site / Armscroft Park), through the sidings towards former Wessex House and railway station.
• Creation of bat habitat/roosts.
• Likely presence of nationally scarce invertebrates; any loss of brownfield habitat should be mitigated through brown roofs.
• Bat survey: Building inspections (and any required emergence/re-entry surveys) if any buildings are scheduled to be removed or altered.
• Birds survey: Not required, but vegetation scheduled for removal between March and August must be checked for evidence of breeding birds.
• Reptile survey: To assess presence.
• Invertebrates survey: To determine presence of important habitats for invertebrates.

Air Quality

• Given the likely high density of development and the proximity of the site to existing potential sources of air pollution, all proposals for development should demonstrate their compliance in meeting EU limit values and national objectives for air pollutants. The development must be consistent with the Local Air Quality Action Plan.

Other

• Regard to the City Council's adopted 'Railway Corridor' Planning Brief.