City's only residential tower block to be demolished

A city's only residential tower block is to be demolished after plans to replace it with affordable homes were finally approved.

Clapham Court on Alvin Street, Gloucester, houses 80 one-bedroom flats, mainly for people over 55, but there is currently only one resident living there.

Gloucester City Council's planning committee granted permission on Tuesday for Gloucester City Homes' plans to replace the 11-storey building with 34 homes and a replacement pharmacy.

With only 21 parking spaces planned, Jeremy Hilton, councillor for Kingsholm and Wotton, who was ousted as council leader last month, said the lack of parking risked placing "an unsustainable strain on neighbouring roads".

A previous planning application to redevelop the site was turned down by the council in 2024 but now a new scheme has been given the go-ahead, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The social housing development will no longer have age specifications, according to Gloucester City Homes, so will be occupied by families and couples.

Hilton said Clapham Court, built in 1963, had a "lovely community" and he was reluctant to see it go.

He said few of the previous tenants owned a vehicle and, with the demographic changing, he was concerned car ownership would increase, adding Alvin Street was already "very congested".

On behalf of Alvin Street residents and businesses, Sara Hobbs spoke at the meeting, and said the current 10 residential parking spaces "barely accommodate residents' needs".

"In the evening, the area is rammed with cars and there is a lot of illegal parking on neighbouring roads," she said, suggesting families would have extra cars.

But John Jones, councillor for Kingsway, said the modern, efficient, homes would "plug a gap" in the housing need.

"These are social rent, affordable rent," he said, adding transport links were within five minutes of the new development.

Angela Conder, councillor for Kingsholm and Wotton, acknowledged it was a difficult area for parking but highlighted the benefits of the scheme, such as open space.

"We won't get perfect but for me this is good enough," she said.

Daniel Lutman, development manager at Gloucester City Homes, said not everyone living in the planned homes was likely to own a car, and the parking provided would be to "similar levels to other developments around the city and has been adequate".

"We've carefully considered the council's feedback and residents' feedback as well," he said.

"At the consultation we held last July, we took that onboard and we drew up revised plans to increase the parking to 21 parking spaces from the original 12."

The committee voted to grant permission with one councillor abstaining.

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