Tewkesbury Borough Council

The Executive approved an amendment to the housing assistance policy to create a simpler route for seal and track hoist installations costing up to £10,000. The change is intended to reduce delays, avoid multiple contractors, and let Gloucestershire County Council manage the process through a single route for residents needing adaptations.

The council approved a refreshed council plan for the final period before local government reorganisation. The plan includes 17 priority actions and explicitly relies on supporting strategies, with members noting that delivery will require monitoring through overview and scrutiny and may need later adjustment if resources tighten.

The committee ultimately approved the up to 42 dwellings at Walnut Farm / part parcel 4670 Chekesbury Road, Norton, subject to section 106 and conditions. The scheme includes highway works, a pedestrian link, bus stop upgrades, crossing improvements, and drainage controls, creating a package of works that would need delivery through development management and associated contracts.

The annual pay policy discussion identified a live national pay award negotiation. The current offer is 3.3%, but unions are seeking at least 10% or £3,000, with officers warning that any higher award would need to be funded from existing budgets and could affect service provision.

Internal audit reviewed the council's pool car arrangements and confirmed a four-year contract with Co-wheels, entered into in 2025, for five electric pool cars. The audit found the contract terms, monthly charges, servicing and usage were broadly working as expected, though it recommended better sharing of safety inspection evidence and more complete maintenance logging.

An outline proposal was presented for up to 43 affordable dwellings on the former Knightsbridge Garden nursery site. The scheme includes a mix of tenures, open space and play area, plus off-site walking/cycling and bus stop improvements. Officers considered the site capable of supporting development under the tilted balance, but members deferred the decision for three months because of concerns over sustainability and traffic impacts from the Junction 10 works.

The meeting focused heavily on planning policy changes, including a revised Statement of Community Involvement that shifts from neighbour letters to site notices and associated communications, accessibility, and process questions. Members also debated the updated Local Development Scheme and the Strategic Local Plan timetable, citing recruitment pressures, evidence work, flood risk assessment, and the need to preserve plan quality ahead of consultation and inspection. A final major item covered local government reorganisation, including the new Gloucestershire unitary, a shadow authority, and the council’s formal response to the structural change order.

The meeting considered two street trading licensing matters. First, a new street trading consent for a hot food trailer near the A38 was granted with a condition requiring a 20 metre setback from the nearest property. Second, a variation to relocate an existing breakfast van due to the M5 Junction 10 works was granted, with amended trading hours and a delegated start date. The committee emphasised road safety, local amenity, and the practical effects of highway works and parking capacity.

The meeting focused on two outline housing applications that both relied on the tilted balance because the council lacks a five-year housing land supply. Members scrutinised sustainability, highway safety, schooling, and especially drainage/foul sewer capacity, with significant concern about development in relatively isolated locations and the ability of existing infrastructure to cope. The first application was deferred for three months after debate on traffic impacts from Junction 10 and site sustainability. The second application for up to 42 homes at Norton was approved, despite strong objections, with conditions and a section 106 agreement to address access, drainage, and highway improvements.