A MASSIVE development comprising of more than 5,000sqm of office space and up to 100 new homes could be heading to a green area in the north of Cirencester.

Outline planning permission for the proposed build in the Kingshill area of the town was granted this week by Cotswold District Council.

Plans reveal that a 12-acre site has been identified for the development and, in addition to the offices and homes, new roads will be built giving access to the site from the A417.

According to the Pegasus Group, which put the plans forward, the development “will create housing choice, additional employment opportunities and new amenity spaces for the new and existing communities”.

Stuart Tarr, chairman of the Beeches Community Group, told the Standard that people should not be surprised that a development like this is on the cards.

“I think, at the end of the day, we have to recognise that Cirencester has been designated as a town that will receive quite a lot of new homes,” he said.

“I do not think we, as residents, can say that we don’t welcome the development. We understand that there is a need for it.”

Mr Tarr, who was elected as the group’s new chairman in November, did however raise concerns about the new estate’s road network.

“The main thing is to make sure that the roads up there are satisfactory. We need to be sure they can cope with the amount of increased traffic,” he said.

As part of the submitted plans, a new road connecting the site to the A417 London Road will be built.

New cyclist and pedestrian accesses that link the site to the main road will also be created.

Mr Tarr also drew attention to the fact that the new offices could be built close to existing power lines.

A design and access statement produced by the Pegasus Group identified the electrical lines in the area as one of the main constraints upon the project.

The plans will be put before Cotswold District Council’s planning committee, where a final decision on whether full planning permission is granted will be made, later in the year.

Log on to www.cotswold.gov.uk to view and comment on the plans.