Content

To agree a Local Lettings Plan to cover first lets and all
subsequent lets of all six properties within 15-25 Richards Road,
covering odd numbers 15,17,19,21,23,25 Richards Road, Cheltenham
GL51 9JX) for an initial 12-month period (expiring on 30th
September 2026), to be reviewed by Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC)
officers in June 2026.
 

Reasons for the decision

This local lettings plan has been agreed in reflection of
longstanding anti-social behaviour, drug dealing and wider
criminality arising from a number of properties (odd numbers)
within 15-25 Richards Road, Cheltenham, GL51 9JX which are
negatively impacting the health and wellbeing of our tenants and
local residents living in the surrounding area.

The council has worked closely with internal teams and the Police
in order to resolve these persistent ASB issues affecting the block
of flats on 15-25 Richards Road, with the aim of creating and
restoring a safe and secure environment for our tenants and local
residents in this area, however, despite efforts to disrupt and
prevent anti-social behaviour in this area, ASB issues remain
ongoing.

From a Corporate perspective, creating quality homes and safe and
strong communities is a key priority of the Council’s new Corporate Plan
(2025-2028). Under this priority, the Council has
committed to- “Build positive connections with our
communities, make people feel safer and improve our neighbourhoods,
public spaces and town centre”. The Corporate Plan also
acknowledges that we must meet the requirements outlined within the
new consumer standards set out by the Regulator of Social Housing
(RSH), especially, (in the context of this local lettings plan)
concerning the Neighbourhood and Community Standard, which
requires that we- “engage with partners including police, the
voluntary sector charities to ensure that tenants can live in safe
and well maintained neighbourhoods as well as feeling safe in their
homes”.

Both of these corporate and national drivers are consistent with
the introduction of a Local Lettings Plan on 15-25 Richards Road,
which seeks to help the Council and our partners create safe,
sustainable communities where our residents can thrive.

This focus on creating strong, healthy communities is reinforced
further within the Council’s
Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2023 to
2028, with Priority 5 of the strategy being-
“We will invest in our communities to help make them safer,
stronger and healthier”. Specifically, a key goal falling
under this priority relates to tackling and preventing anti-social
behaviour. This local lettings plan aligns with this corporate
priority, as it will prevent applicants with a history of
criminality or anti-social behaviour from securing these properties
over the duration of the Local Lettings Plan.

Accordingly, in view of this background context, officers are
seeking to introduce this Local Lettings Plan to support the
Council’s wider placemaking
objectives in creating sustainable, cohesive and resilient
communities across the Borough, thereby supporting ongoing
multi-agency initiatives to restore community stability and a sense
of belonging to this neighbourhood.

To ensure that this Local Lettings Plan remains in place for no
longer than required, officers will review the Local Lettings Plan
in June 2026 to determine whether any amendment or extension to
this Local Lettings Plan is required, with an option within the
Local Lettings Plan to review this document at any point prior to
June 2026 to ensure the Local Lettings Plan continues to function
as intended.

In the event that no review is undertaken, or no decision is made
to extend the Local Lettings Plan, this lettings arrangement will
automatically expire on 30th September 2026.
 

Alternative options considered

The Council considered not introducing a local
lettings plan in this location. However, following discussions with
officers, it was felt that the persistent (12 months+) nature of
antisocial behaviour arising from this block of flats, despite
significant efforts to resolve this situation, was ultimately
undermining community cohesion and having a significant negative
impact on the health and well-being of our tenants and our
residents. In light of this evidence, officers agreed that it would
not be unacceptable to allow this behaviour to continue without
setting up a Local Lettings Plan to reinforce community cohesion
and provide a level of stability to this neighbourhood. This
approach has been agreed between Housing Options, Housing
Management, Lettings and Housing Enabling officers in view of
evidence provided by the Council’s frontline teams and key
partners.