The Gloucester and Cheltenham Green Belt is a green belt environmental and planning policy that regulates the rural space throughout mainly the South West region of England. It is completely within the county of Gloucestershire. Essentially, the function of the designation is to prevent further convergence between the conurbations of Gloucester and Cheltenham. [1] It is managed by local planning authorities on guidance from central government.
Land area taken up by the green belt is 6,694 hectares (66.94 km2; 25.85 sq mi), 0.05% of the total land area of England (2010). [2] It is mainly within Tewkesbury district, [3] with small portions within the fringes of the Cheltenham [3] and Cotswold [4] districts. Innsworth is the largest community within the green belt.
Landscape features and facilities within the area include Staverton Airport, Cheltenham Racecourse, rivers Chelt, Swilgate and Hyde Brook, Imjin Barracks and MOD Boddington, several parks and woods, Briarfields campsite, Churchdown and Crickley hills, and the Church of the Holy Trinity in Badgeworth.
Much of the boundary is formed by local roads such as the A38 and the M5. The green belt lies next to the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Due to it lying across the Gloucester-Cheltenham metropolitan area, responsibility and co-ordination lies with local unitary and district councils as these are the local planning authorities.
The green belt was first drawn up in 1968 with the Gloucestershire Development Plan. The Gloucestershire County Structure Plan in 1981 extended this to include an area north of Cheltenham to protect the green space between Cheltenham and Bishop's Cleeve. No portion was defined within Gloucester as the city boundary is drawn tightly around the urban area. [5]
The Cotswolds are an area in south central and south west England comprising the Cotswold Hills, a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment, known as the Cotswold Edge, above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of Jurassic limestone that creates a type of grassland habitat rare in the UK and that is quarried for the golden-coloured Cotswold stone. It contains unique features derived from the use of this mineral; the predominantly rural landscape contains stone-built villages, historical towns and stately homes and gardens.
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean.
Tewkesbury is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and also minor tributaries the Swilgate and Carrant Brook. It gives its name to the Borough of Tewkesbury, of which the town is the second largest settlement. It lies in the far north of the county, forming part of the border with Worcestershire.
Tewkesbury Borough Council is the local authority for Tewkesbury Borough. Tewkesbury Borough is located in North Gloucestershire in the South West of England region. The Council itself is based in the Council Offices in Tewkesbury proper, but the borough also comprises Ashchurch, Bishop's Cleeve, Brockworth, Churchdown and Winchcombe and a number of other settlements. It is administratively distinct from Tewkesbury Town Council, which serves the smaller parish of Tewkesbury only.
Coombe Hill Canal lies in the Vale of Gloucester, south west England, north of Leigh and runs west 2.75 miles (4.43 km) from Coombe Hill Basin to the River Severn near Wainlode Hill. It opened in 1796 and closed 80 years later in 1876, after the only lock was damaged by flooding. The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust purchased the Coombe Hill Canal nature reserve in 1985 and the area is managed by the trust. Adjacent to the Coombe Hill Canal is a large area of wet meadowland situated midway between Gloucester and Tewkesbury to the west of the A38, which was purchased by the trust in 1999. There is a north and a south meadow. This land and the Canal itself often flood in winter, which attracts hundreds of wildfowl.
The county of Gloucestershire is divided into seven districts. The districts of Gloucestershire are Gloucester, Tewkesbury, Cheltenham, Cotswold, Stroud, Forest of Dean, South Gloucestershire.
Tewkesbury Rural District was, from 1894 to 1935, a rural district in the south-western part of the Midlands in England. It had the unusual feature of including territory from the two neighbouring administrative counties of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire until boundary changes in 1933 placed the entire district in Gloucestershire.
Cleeve Common is a 455-hectare (1,120-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1974. It is looked after by a small charity called Cleeve Common Board of Conservators.
Cotswold Commons and Beechwoods is a 665.5-hectare (1,644-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1954.
Crickley Hill and Barrow Wake is a 56.8-hectare (140-acre) biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1974.
Puckham Woods is a 32.38-hectare (80.0-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire to the east of Cheltenham near Whittington, notified in 1954. The site is listed in the 'Cotswold District' Local Plan 2001-2011 as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).
The county of Gloucestershire is divided into seven districts. The districts of Gloucestershire are Gloucester, Tewkesbury, Cheltenham, Cotswold, Stroud, Forest of Dean, South Gloucestershire.
There are over 20,000 Grade II* listed buildings in England. This page is a list of these buildings in the district of Cheltenham in Gloucestershire.
There are over 20,000 Grade II* listed buildings in England. This page is a list of these buildings in the district of Cotswold in Gloucestershire.
Tewkesbury Borough is a local government district and borough in Gloucestershire, England. It is named after its main town, Tewkesbury. Other places in the borough include Ashchurch, Bishop's Cleeve, Churchdown and Winchcombe. It is administratively distinct from the parish of Tewkesbury, which is served by Tewkesbury Town Council.
The Nottingham and Derby Green Belt is a green belt environmental and planning policy for the cities of Derby and Nottingham in the East Midlands region of England. It includes designated parts of several districts in the surrounding counties of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Management is mainly performed by the local planning authority on guidance from central government.
The Burton upon Trent and Swadlincote Green Belt is a green belt environmental and planning policy that regulates the rural space between the towns of Burton upon Trent and Swadlincote, in the counties of Derbyshire and Staffordshire, within the East Midlands region of England. Essentially, the function of the belt in this location is to prevent the towns merging by lessening urban sprawl. It is managed by local planning authorities on guidance from central government.
The South and West Yorkshire Green Belt is a green belt environmental and planning policy that regulates the rural space within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It is contained within the counties of South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, and Derbyshire. Essentially, its primary function is to more rigorously manage development around the cities, towns and villages in the large West Yorkshire Urban Area-, the Sheffield urban area and surrounding towns of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, as well as other nearby locations, in order to discourage urban sprawl and further convergence between these. It is managed by local planning authorities on guidance from central government.
The South West Hampshire & South East Dorset Green Belt is a green belt environmental and planning policy that regulates the rural space in the South West region of England. It is mainly within the county of Dorset, extending cross border into Hampshire. Essentially, the function of the belt is to control development expansion in the South East Dorset conurbation and outlying towns and villages. It is managed by local planning authorities on guidance from central government.
The Avon Green Belt, also known as the Bristol and Bath Green Belt, is a non-statutory green belt environmental and planning policy that regulates urban expansion and development in the countryside surrounding the cities of Bristol and Bath in the South West region of England. It covers areas in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset, Mendip, and Wiltshire. Essentially, the function of the green belt is to limit urban sprawl and maintain the open character of areas around the Bristol and Bath built up areas, and nearby towns and villages. The policy is implemented by local planning authorities on the basis of guidance from central government.