Plans for £55m Prime Cheltenham Town Centre Redevelopment Site Recommended for Approval
Plans submitted by Wavensmere Homes and BBS Capital for the redevelopment of the North Place surface car park, located within Cheltenham’s Central Conservation Area, have been recommended for approval by the by Borough Council’s planning officials. The detailed designs for Arkle Court –
submitted in February 2024 – propose 147 houses and apartments, to sensitively enhance the street scene alongside the Grade II* listed St Margaret’s Terrace.
Designed by nationally acclaimed architects Glancy Nicholls, the £55m plans for Arkle court are devised to complement the town’s Regency architecture, whilst creating a sustainable new community in the heart of the town centre. 75 three-bedroom townhouses are proposed, together with 72 one- and two-bedroom apartments over a three/four storey block.
Extending to over 3.5-acres, the plans to redevelop the site include multiple areas of high quality landscaped open space, with the opportunity for a public art installation and provision for murals to be created as part of the Cheltenham Paint Festival. Vehicular, pedestrian and cycle access is from North Place, less than half a mile from the University of Gloucester campus and the historic town centre.
We are delighted to see this allocated brownfield site recommended for approval, ahead of the planning committee meeting on 15th August. Our plans for Arkle Court will finally bring forward this long unloved eyesore and continue the renaissance of the wider St Paul’s area.
“After extensive work with the planning department and statutory consultees, amended plans were submitted earlier this summer to address feedback on heritage and conservation impact to the Grade II* listed St Margaret’s Terrace. We have consequently reduced the scale and mass of the apartment block and introduced a range of finer architectural details found locally.
Ben Clarke, Technical Director of Wavensmere Homes
This important regeneration project is set to showcase what can be achieved when the Borough Council and developers work together to unlock complicated schemes for the benefit of Cheltenham.
In 2013, the Council awarded planning for a large supermarket and 143 new homes for this site, which never materialised. The new designs for Arkle Court are gas-free with an A-rated energy performance being targeted. Local materials will be specified to help reduce carbon footprint, along with an array of energy saving and generating technology, including air sourced heat pumps, solar PV panels and centralised mechanical ventilation heat recovery systems. Each house is designed with dedicated parking which will be served by 7kW EV car chargers to ensure the scheme is future proofed.
We are delighted to once again be working with Wavensmere Homes on a landmark project which is set to deliver new investment and jobs, while creating highly sustainable homes on brownfield land.
Nick Spencer, Director, and Co-Founder at BBS Capital
While the viability assessment for the site did not allow for 20% affordable housing to be delivered, as part of our negotiations with the local authority and in an effort to bring the site forward, we have made a commitment to provide 20% affordable housing on-site, along with a contribution of over £1m towards upgrades towards local education, libraries and the Chilterns Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation. In addition, a high proportion of the new homes will be aimed at first time buyers and young families, with attainable prices significantly below prime Cheltenham values.
Earlier this year, the £175m Nightingale Quarter in Derby city centre – another Wavensmere Homes and BBS Capital project – was the double winner in the conservation category at the Civic Society’s annual ‘A Brighter City of Derby’ Awards. The awards were presented in recognition of the painstaking restoration to two abandoned relics from the former Derbyshire Royal Infirmary (DRI) – illustrating our significant investment in placemaking and delivery.
If the Arkle Court plans are given the green light, we will be able to deliver attainable, highly energy-efficient new homes for young professionals, families, and older people. We very much hope to be able to break ground with the redevelopment of North Place within the coming months.
The social, environmental and sustainability components of the scheme aim to complement Cheltenham Borough Council’s key targets, outlined in the local authority’s 2027 Corporate Plan. The environmental impact of the project has been carefully considered to deliver sustainable drainage and biodiversity net gains in excess of the regulation changes.
The redevelopment of the North Place car park will also connect Pittville Park on the one side, through North Place, to the thriving Brewery Quarter, the Lower High Street Poundland site – which will see a mixed-use redevelopment – through to the cyber-tech Hub MX and Minster Gardens. Enhanced connectivity and walkability will cut down travel times, increase opportunities and health and wellbeing, reduce isolation, and drive economic growth.
Wavensmere Homes is constructing three major urban regeneration schemes, located in central Birmingham, Derby city centre, and Ipswich, and has five further developments, including the £150m Wolverhampton Canalside South project – in addition to Arkle Court – in the immediate pipeline. The Birmingham-headquartered housebuilder has around 3,500 new homes either under construction or in planning.
To view the plans for Arkle Court, visit: www.arklecourt.co.uk/
