Following approval from Cheltenham Borough Council’s (CBC) cabinet, the project to replace three properties with 27 new homes is underway.
Plans for £4.3m redevelopment of the Monkscroft Villas site were submitted last week (9 July) and unanimously approved as Cheltenham Borough Homes (CBH) works to address the need for affordable housing in the town.
The scheme will see the existing three properties on the site knocked down and replaced with a mixture of one and two bed flats, two two-bed houses as well as parking and cycle spaces and landscaping. The properties will also have solar panels installed – which will help to reduce the energy costs, storing unused energy in batteries for future use.
Properties will be offered under mixed tenure, including the option of shared ownership, to increase the options available to local residents.
Clearance work has already begun on the site, with CBH consulting ecologists to make sure that as much of the existing greenery is preserved as possible.
Gloucester based construction firm E G Carter & Co Ltd has been confirmed as the lead on the demolition and redevelopment of the site on Princess Elizabeth Way which will bring 27 new homes to the West of Cheltenham.
Peter Hatch, executive director (property and communities) at Cheltenham Borough Homes, said: “We’re excited to be working with E G Carter & Co Ltd – a well-established local company with a proven track record of delivering high quality housing.
“The site has been in need of development for a long time, so it is fantastic to be in the position to get started and to deliver more affordable homes to Cheltenham.”
Mark Harries, associate director at E G Carter & Co Ltd, said: “We are delighted to be working with Cheltenham Borough Council on the Monkscroft Villas regeneration scheme.
“The project will significantly lift the appearance of the area and we are pleased to assist the local area in proving much-needed quality affordable housing.”
Cllr Peter Jefferies, cabinet member for housing at Cheltenham Borough Council, said: “What fantastic news for this brownfield site. I’m really pleased to have more affordable council housing being delivered in the town.
“As the council has declared a climate emergency, it’s really exciting how we’re investing in greener technologies for our housing making our properties more efficient and I really look forward to this scheme being completed.”
Demolition of the existing properties is scheduled to take place later this Summer with building starting in the Autumn.
For more information on the project, and to keep up to date with progress, visit www.cbh.org.