A housebuilder has submitted plans to redevelop a former Network Rail depot in Gloucester and build 315 homes.
Eutopia Homes acquired the eight-acre brownfield site, next to Gloucester train station, in 2021 and is now planning to transform it into 228 apartments and 87 townhouses. The plans for the redevelopment of the site went on display earlier this year, with the public invited to give feedback on the proposals.
The homes will replace a disused former railway depot near the Royal Gloucestershire Hospital – a site Gloucester City Council has wanted to redevelop for more than a decade. The latest version of the council’s local plan indicates the site is suitable for around 300 new homes.
Under the plans, the developers will also create a new pedestrian route between Gloucester’s Horton Road and Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, which will then open up to Armscroft Park and beyond.
The new neighbourhood, which will be designed by Darling Associates Architects, will create almost 500 direct and indirect jobs a year during construction, according to Eutopia Homes. The housebuilder predicts a further £10m will be added to the local economy each year once the development is built.
The four apartment buildings will reach a maximum of five storeys and will include studio, one and two beds. There will be two- and three-bedroom townhouses, with all homes having access to private outdoor space through a balcony or garden. There will also be six pocket forests, green play areas, an open park, bird and bat boxes, and landscaped frontage.
Lorna Henderson, director at Eutopia Homes, said: “Gloucester, like many places up and down the country, is experiencing significant supply-demand imbalances in its local housing market. The potential of this brownfield site has never been realised despite valiant efforts from the council to do so, and we are pleased to deliver on its long held aspiration for connectivity between Horton Road and Great Western Road.”
Ms Henderson said the site would play an “important role” in supporting the growth of Gloucester and deliver “much-needed housing” for the city. She added: “We have adopted a people over cars approach at every turn, with ample green space and sustainability considerations running throughout.”
The purchase of the Gloucester site marks the third time Eutopia Homes has bought land from Network Rail following acquisitions in Exeter, where it plans to deliver 140 homes across two developments.
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