Site area
55 acres / 22 hectares
Housing units
350 dwellings
Use
30% social housing
65% private housing
5% self-build
Planning district
South Gloucestershire District Council
Status
Outline consent granted
Wider community benefits
Financial contribution to local facilities + sports + open space
Cleve Park, Thornbury proposals were jointly promoted by Landform and its long-term partner Welbeck Strategic Land. Development of the 350-home site in Thornbury also includes a 70-bed care home, 14 self-build plots and 1,050 sqm of community and commercial facilities.
Planning consent for the 350 dwelling project was allowed on appeal in May 2018 but was subject to several Judicial Review challenges by South Gloucestershire Council however, the last of these challenges was dismissed by the High Court in early 2019 meaning that the project could proceed.
South Gloucestershire Council has an admitted 5-year housing supply shortfall and both Thornbury and the Cleve Park site had been identified in the emerging West of England JSP and the South Gloucestershire draft Local Plan as the preferred location for housing. Securing planning consent still proved to be a challenge and involved two local plan reviews, a public inquiry and two appearances at the High Court to fend off NIMBY based resistance from the local council.
Interest to purchase the consented site was intense and came from a wide range of national and regional house builders, which resulted in a very competitive bidding process. The high level of interest shown in the site reflects the chronic shortage of good quality housing land in the Bristol area, which is enjoying high demand and buoyant market conditions.
“We highly commend Landform who committed to an agreement when others would not and they were tenacious in progressing the site through the planning process, winning a Planning Appeal and two High Court challenges. Landform’s dealings were transparent when the land was sold, and they allowed the landowner to remain part of the decision-making process. As a result best value was achieved for all.”
David James & Partners – the landowner’s advisor