WITH a planning application set to be submitted for up to 2,350 new homes in Chesterton, Lord Bathurst says the scheme will be his “legacy” to Cirencester and make the town a better place.


His company, Bathurst Development Ltd, is behind the development which would see the number of homes in Cirencester increase by about a quarter.


There has been fierce opposition to the scheme, with protest group Save Our Cirencester gathering 3,000 signatures on a petition against the development and insisting that 2,350 new homes is far too many and local roads and infrastructure will not cope.


Ahead of an outline planning application being submitted to Cotswold District Council in early December, Lord Bathurst told the Standard there were key positives to the scheme which he believes many people were unaware of:

  • 22 acres of employment land, creating 1,900 jobs
  • The 2,350 homes will include a 60-bed care home and accommodation for 100 students
  • A primary school for 540 pupils, a GP surgery, sports pitches and centres, a community hall and 100 acres of open space which will be open to the wider community
  • Hundreds of thousands of pounds will be spent on improving roads around the development to try to avoid traffic problems 
  • Shops on site for basics, with new walking, cycling and public transport access to the town centre to encourage people to shop there
  • A pick-up and drop-off cycling network, similar to the ‘Boris Bikes’ scheme in London, will be created so that people can travel between the development and the rest of Cirencester
  • Funding for existing secondary schools and sports clubs
  • The development will have its own sewerage network and will be able to process some of the foul water from other areas of Chesterton
  • There will be an up to 67-metre buffer of green space between the development and existing homes in Chesterton

Lord Bathurst said: “There is a need and demand for housing in the Cotswolds, particularly Cirencester, and this will provide quality housing. The development will integrate into the town centre but not compete. People will go into Cirencester to shop, which will benefit the town.”  


He added: “This will be my legacy. It will benefit the whole of Cirencester.”


Responding to criticism of the volume of houses in the scheme, he said: “There is a forecast of population growth over the period of the Local Plan [the housing blueprint for the Cotswolds up to 2031] and so somewhere these houses need to be built and we believe this is the most suitable site. We have all the utilities already and if not, like the drainage, we can put it in.”


Lord Bathurst, whose family has owned land in Cirencester for centuries, also stressed that the total number of houses at Chesterton could change. “There will be flux,” he said. 


On the issue of the extra pressure the influx of new people will have on the town’s roads, Lord Bathurst said: “We are looking for people to cycle or walk or take public transport, and we will provide bicycles for them.”


He pointed out that, for those who choose to drive, there will be new bus lanes and roundabouts, and improvements to major roads and junctions including Stroud Road, Tetbury Road, Cranhams Lane and Somerford Road. 


“This is a huge investment in connecting the town,” he said. 


Lord Bathurst also said that he hoped people who live at the development will go against the culture of people who “want to drive into Cirencester rather than cycle or walk, and want to park right outside where they want to go rather than a nearby car park such as The Forum”.


But members of Save Our Cirencester, although not opposed to some development at Chesterton, believe that the number of houses – the equivalent of Tetbury – will spoil Cirencester.


Chairman Mark Pratley said: “We believe that Earl Bathurst, by birthright, has a moral obligation to uphold and protect the heritage of Cirencester. 


“Frankly, he would be the last person you would expect to promote a large development on its doorstep, which by no stretch of the imagination will enhance the heritage of this lovely market town.”


The masterplan for the development will go out for public consultation for three weeks from October 5, with copies sent to homes in Chesterton and on display at libraries and council offices.


There will be a two-day public exhibition of the plans in mid to late November.


An outline planning application for the development will be submitted to Cotswold District Council in early December. If approved, work would begin on the scheme in spring or summer 2019.