PCC says police station should be part of new housing development

• The proposed Elms Park development would provide more than 4,000 new homes on land between Tewkesbury and Cheltenham
• Gloucestershire Constabulary began talks with the town’s local authorities in 2020
• Police and Crime Commissioner Chris Nelson says for all practical purposes, the Constabulary’s views have been ignored
• In a letter to local councillors, calling on them to pause the scheme, Mr. Nelson says “This proposed development, if approved, would create a substantial impact on our policing infrastructure requirements. It would have far reaching consequences”.

Gloucestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) is calling for plans for a major new housing scheme to be paused until it includes provision for a police station.

The proposed Elms Park development would provide more than 4,000 new homes on land between Tewkesbury and Cheltenham.

The plans include additional infrastructure like roads, a drainage system and education, but appear to ignore the potential impact of crime and disorder.

Tewkesbury and Cheltenham Borough Council Planning committees are meeting tomorrow (Thursday) to discuss the development. After planners failed to engage with Gloucestershire Constabulary to see how the impact on policing and community safety could be mitigated, PCC Chris Nelson is calling on both bodies not to approve the application until the issue has been resolved.

In a letter to councillors who sit on the two planning committees, Mr, Nelson writes: “Contrary to the officers’ report, there has been no meaningful or lawful engagement with Gloucestershire Constabulary (GC).  For all practical purposes, GC has been ignored.

“In addition, the local authority, including its officers, not only have a legal duty to engage with GC but also have legal obligations in respect of the prevention of crime and disorder.

“This proposed development, if approved would create a substantial impact on our policing infrastructure requirements.  It would have far reaching consequences on policing during the construction and lifetime of the Proposed Development.

“Paragraph 101 of the National Planning Policy Framework specifically requires local planning authorities to work proactively and positively with promoters, delivery partners and statutory bodies to make sure that required blue light public service infrastructure is in place to support proposals for development.”

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mr Nelson added:   

"I am troubled at how the Constabulary’s consultation response, submitted a considerable time ago, and even following what I had thought were multiple positive meetings with officers from the Council, seems to have been ignored.

“This proposed development will have a considerable impact on existing policing infrastructure in the County, and both the law and previous cases have shown that it is not enough to expect any public authority to “save up” future Council tax receipts to eventually pay for the safety needs of a new community.

“The developer contribution scheme is specifically designed so that things like schools, roads, parks and other services like police stations can be provided from when people first move to a new development, rather than having to wait years for infrastructure that might never come.

“This is so important for the future of our County that we get this right first time, as there won’t be a chance to go back once this decision is made. That is why I am asking members of the planning committees to defer this application until these concerns can be addressed and we can make sure these new residents will be kept safe.”