Podsmead councillor welcomes news on Gloucester City Homes funding deal

26 Aug 2023

A city councillor has welcomed a funding deal to help regenerate Gloucester but wants guarantees Podsmead will not become an urban concrete jungle when much needed new homes are built there.

Gloucester City Homes has reached a new £130 million funding deal with NatWest, which includes £30 million of new money and a 10-year extension on existing loans.

It means the social housing provider will be able to deliver regeneration schemes across the city, as well as improve the energy efficiency of many rented properties.

Councillor Sebastian Field said the deal was good for Podsmead and Gloucester because the regeneration of the Poets’ Estate was one step closer.

But Councillor Field, who represents Podsmead on the city council, has concerns that under the current plans some of the open green space on Scott Avenue and Byron Avenue will be lost forever.

“In a difficult financial climate, Gloucester City Homes has done well to negotiate this funding deal,” Councillor Field said.

“I would hope it would now allow them to undertake the regeneration of social homes in Podsmead, by replacing the existing homes and using the same building footprints.

“Shops and facilities are also needed, and I hope these will be part of the scheme.

“We know that the commercial housing element of the scheme as in previous drafts, was there to pay for the regeneration and building of the social housing.

“But this would involve the sacrifice of some green space on Scott and Byron Avenue for building on.

“I do not want to see Podsmead’s popular green spaces concreted over and replaced with fields of houses.”

Councillor Field said the Conservative city council administration has been pushing for the land at Scott Avenue to be transferred to Gloucester City Homes for a cut-price fee.

“I am not happy about this and believe that this new funding could allow the scheme to be delivered differently,” Councillor Field said.

“We have seen during the pandemic the value of open space, and Scott Avenue has been well-used recently, for example with Play Gloucestershire or the open-air cinema.

“And we have prevented a large-scale housing development at nearby Blackbridge, which was my fear if the Sports Hub did not go ahead.

“Local people can still enjoy the space there, and they should be able to at Scott Avenue as well.”

This website uses cookies

Like most websites, this site uses cookies. Some are required to make it work, while others are used for statistical or marketing purposes. If you choose not to allow cookies some features may not be available, such as content from other websites. Please read our Cookie Policy for more information.

Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the website to function properly.
Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us to understand how our visitors use our website.
Marketing cookies are used by third parties or publishers to display personalized advertisements. They do this by tracking visitors across websites.