Future of Paygrove Lane site hangs in the balance

The future of a piece of land in Longlevens remains uncertain with fears housing could still be built on it.

Outline planning permission for 10 houses was granted for the site off Paygrove Lane in 2018 by the city council and lasts for five years.

The former sports field was marketed for sale earlier this year but has not sold.

Councillor Linda Castle asked the city council cabinet member responsible for planning and housing a series of questions about the site, which is owned by Gloucestershire County Council.

These included whether the land had been sold and whether any discussions have been held with a developer.

"The field has been closed to the public for a number of years and the city council has confirmed the land has not been sold," said Councillor Castle.

"Instead of being built on for housing, I believe the land should instead become public open space which can be enjoyed by all of the community in Longlevens.

"Disappointingly the city and county councils have not held any discussions about transferring the ownership of the land to the city council for public open space."

The city council confirmed the county council has not filed a reserve matters application, which is information excluded from the initial outline planning application.

"This will typically include information about the layout, access, scale and appearance of the development," explained Councillor Castle.

Sarah Sawyer, the Liberal Democrat candidate in the forthcoming Longlevens by-election, added: "We believe the land should be transferred so it can be used for public green space.

"There is a shortfall of green space and biodiversity in Longlevens and having this land opened up for public use would be of benefit to the whole community."