A NEW three storey office building is being proposed for Cirencester, on the same site as St James Place on Tetbury Road.

Plans for the building, which is to have an approximate floor space of 4860m2, will include parking for 68 cars, 50 bicycles and 5 motorbikes.

Concerns have been raised about the plan by Town Council, the Chamber of Commerce and the county council’s highways department over the fact that there will not be enough spaces for the number of new employees.

Residents also added to the chorus of parking concerns, complaining that St James Place employees already took up spaces in public car parks and suggested that the extra cars at peak times would add to congestion.

English Heritage also voiced their concerns in a letter to the council, stating that the development would impact on views of the Church of St John the Baptist.

A spokesman for English Heritage wrote: “The position of the development, within a sensitive location, will negatively impact on visitors’ ability to read this as an entrance point into the medieval core of the town and the position and importance of St John the Baptist at its centre.”

Despite these concerns the planning officer responsible for the case has recommended that the council approve the application, subject to the highways officer giving the plans approval and a financial contribution being made to the town centre’s improvement.

St James Place has agreed a total of £30,000 towards the improvement of the town centre for the Town Council if their application is approved.

The plans were also showcased at an event in the company’s current office buildings and received positive feedback from all those who gave their opinion.

Discussion of the plans will take place at the planning committee meeting on October 8, starting at 9.30am in the Council Chamber on Trinity Road, Cirencester.