Plans to demolish the vacant Tesco Superstore in Farrell Close and build a new four-storey retirement complex have been refused on the grounds that ‘the proposed development, by virtue of its size, scale, mass and design, would have an adverse impact on the character and appearance of Cirencester Town Centre Conservation Area.’
The plans included creating 69 retirement apartments with communal facilities, car parking and landscaping along with three separate shop units. The developers, Churchill, believed this could ‘revitalise’ that area of the town centre however the planners felt that the proposal would cause ‘less than substantial harm to the aforementioned designated heritage asset and there are no public benefits that are considered sufficient to outweigh the identified harm.’