Tewkesbury residents angry after office plans approved

Residents claim they have been "misled" after plans to build offices next to their homes were approved despite more than 400 objections.

Bloor Homes' plans to build the two-storey block near its new housing development in Gloucestershire.

Homeowners who recently moved to the site accused the developer of being "crass and contemptuous" and said their "dreams have been destroyed".

Bloor Homes Western said there were "no technical objections" to the plans.

But they were met with 420 signed objections from residents, councillors and an MP who raised concerns about the increase in traffic and road safety, and the impact on the rural landscape.

The property developer sold the residents their new houses in the same area of Tewkesbury where it plans to build the new commercial property.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the new two-storey building on land south of Jenny's Field off Nightingale Way in Walton Cardiff, will serve as its regional office and is expected to cost £5m.

Resident Richard Bradley said the community feels "let down" by the plans.

"At no time when we bought these houses from Bloor was this intention made clear. We've been misled," he said.

"Having been sold a vision by Bloor of living in a idyllic semi-rural environment on the edge of the countryside, for them to compromise this is staggeringly crass and contemptuous of the customers they've spent so long courting for these properties.

"The dream we were sold has now been destroyed."

A resident who wanted to be kept anonymous said the decision will have a negative impact on young girls, who "will now be unable to play football there where boys are".

"If they build on the site, there will be no space to build the girls' changing rooms that were earmarked for this space," they said.

The planned development will include a car park with 66 spaces.

Tewkesbury MP Laurence Robertson, said in a letter that the plans would "impact on locally significant views".

He also said local roads would not be able to manage the increase in vehicles travelling to and from the site.

Nick Rawlings, planning director at Bloor Homes Western, said traffic to the site would be spread out.

"The last thing we would want to do is compromise highway safety on Bluebell Road for local residents," he said.

Tewkesbury Borough councillor Robert Bird and councillor Robert Vines proposed to approve the scheme.

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