More than 50 homes will be built on old Premiere Products site

A NEW housing estate with more than 50 homes will be built next door to a Cheltenham graveyard.

The plans to build 54 homes were submitted by developer Bromford Housing and approved by Cheltenham Borough Council last month.

The brownfield site, which used to be the former Premiere Products factory in Bouncers Lane, neighbours Cheltenham’s Cemetery and Crematorium.

The company, which supplied cleaning chemicals across the world, closed its Cheltenham branch in 2015.

The 1.7-hectare site is close to Prestbury St Mary’s Cofe Junior School and 12 houses which were built on the former Premiere Products Machine Division site.

The development was approved by borough council officers last month.

In a planning application submitted by Bromford, it said: “The development will respect the local character but also move Cheltenham towards a more sustainable future, through a significant increase in housing choice.

“Development will accord with the principles of high quality design and best practice to create a townscape that is rich, varied and sympathetic to its environment.

“The aim is to achieve a high quality development with a strong identity, activity and a strong ‘sense of place’.”

One resident however believes the homes are being ‘shoe-horned’ into the plot.

In a letter to the borough council, they wrote: “The planners have done a masterful job of shoe-horning the 54 dwellings into the space available.

“However, the plots appear to be overcrowded (particularly since some of the houses are semi-detached), and I have been unable to find any reference to leisure space.”

Work to build the homes are likely to start later this year, the developer said.