Block Management in Gloucestershire
Seven councils being replaced by one, in a county defined by the 2007 Severn floods.
Across Gloucestershire we offer block and estate management, service charge accounting and compliance for RMCs, RTM companies and freeholders in any of the six districts. Conservation areas are lopsided, with 144 of the 247 in Cotswold and 7 in Cheltenham. The seven councils are due to be replaced by one unitary authority, with an April 2028 target that depends on Parliament approving the order.
What We Would Put First for a Block in Gloucestershire
Confirm the District at Handover
Planning and building control sit with the six district, borough and city councils, not the county, and conservation area counts run from 144 in Cotswold to 7 in Cheltenham. We would establish the right authority and designations for the block at handover.
Changing agentPlan for Lost Supply, Not Only Ingress
In 2007 the Mythe treatment works flooded and over 140,000 homes in the county lost water for more than a week. For a Severn-side block we would review insurance cover and the emergency arrangements in the compliance record with that event in mind.
InsuranceTrack the New Gloucester HMO Direction
Gloucester has made an HMO Article 4 direction dated March 2026 that does not come into force until March 2027, and Cheltenham's has applied since October 2019. We would flag either control when handling subletting consent requests for flats in those areas.
ConsentsUse the Right Building Control Body for Tall Blocks
For a block of at least 18 metres or seven storeys the building control authority is the Building Safety Regulator, not the district council or its partnership. We would route building control matters for such a block to the regulator and keep its compliance record current.
Building safetyUpdate Council Records Through Reorganisation
Elections to the new unitary council are due in May 2027, with an implementation target of April 2028 subject to Parliament. We would review council contacts and planning records for each block as the six districts transfer to the new authority.
Block managementManaging a Block in Gloucestershire at a Glance
- Local authority
- Gloucestershire County Council with six district, borough and city councils beneath it
- Authority type
- two-tier
- Building control
- The district council or its partnership, not the county. Cheltenham and Tewkesbury share one service and Gloucester and Stroud another
- Fire and rescue service
- Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service
- Water and sewerage
- No single undertaker. The county council lists four operating in Gloucestershire: Severn Trent, Thames Water, Wessex Water and Welsh Water
- Setting
- Inland
What It Costs to Move a Block in Gloucestershire to Us
Management is a fixed annual fee, quoted for the building and agreed before we start. We take no commission and no third-party incentives, so the fee is the whole of what we earn from the building. Taking a block on carries a one-off start-up fee, set by size:
| Block size | Fee |
|---|---|
| Start-up fee, up to 10 units | £420.00 |
| Start-up fee, up to 25 units | £540.00 |
| Start-up fee, 50 units and above | £660.00 |
Taken from our published Additional Services price list, PBM Form #01-27 rev.6, effective 23 June 2025. All fees quoted are inclusive of VAT. See the full price list and how a handover works.
The 2007 Lesson Was Lost Water as Much as Floodwater
Severn-dominated and historically severe. The 2007 floods are the defining event: the river at Gloucester came within a centimetre of the 1947 level, and the Mythe treatment works flooded. Over 140,000 homes in the county lost water supplies for more than a week. The Environment Agency's Alney Island scheme at Gloucester addresses both fluvial and tidal flooding from the Severn in an area severely flooded that year. Gloucestershire County Council is the lead local flood authority, which follows automatically from the county being two-tier. For a Severn-side block, insurance and emergency arrangements should allow for loss of water supply as well as floodwater.
Flats Gather in Cheltenham and Gloucester
At the 2021 Census 30,652 of the county's 279,429 households, 11.0 per cent, were in a purpose-built block, against 17.1 per cent for England, with a further 2.1 per cent in a converted or shared house. Flat stock is concentrated in Cheltenham and Gloucester rather than spread across the county. A block's district therefore shapes which planning, licensing and flood questions apply to it.
Cotswold Holds 144 of the County's 247 Conservation Areas
247 across the six districts, and they are not evenly spread: Cotswold has 144 of them, Stroud 41, Forest of Dean 27, Gloucester and Tewkesbury 14 each, and Cheltenham 7. Which district a block sits in changes the odds of being inside one by an order of magnitude, so designation is checked block by block.
12,973 list entries across the six districts, from 5,002 in Cotswold down to 461 in Gloucester. A single entry can cover a whole terrace, so the number of listed buildings is higher: Cheltenham publishes 2,602 listed buildings against 1,133 entries. Listed status is therefore confirmed for each block individually before works are specified.
HMO Control in Cheltenham, and Gloucester's from 2027
Article 4 coverage is uneven. Gloucester has 55 property-level records under two directions, Cotswold 22, Tewkesbury 11, Forest of Dean 2, Cheltenham 1 and Stroud none. Cheltenham's single direction is an HMO control in force since October 2019. Gloucester has made a further HMO direction dated March 2026 which does not come into force until March 2027. A block's district decides whether any direction applies, so it should be established at handover.
Seven Councils Replaced by One, Targeted for April 2028
Gloucestershire's seven councils are being replaced by one. The Secretary of State decided on 16 July 2026 to implement the single unitary proposal. The decision letter sets an implementation target of April 2028, subject to Parliament approving the order. Elections to the new council in May 2027 will replace any scheduled local elections, with a shadow council in between. The new authority will cover exactly the six existing district areas. South Gloucestershire and Swindon are unaffected. Council contacts and planning records for each block will need updating as the districts transfer.
The obligations in the lease and in statute do not change. What changes is the body an application goes to and the authority that enforces housing standards, so compliance records and planning history need to be in order before the transfer rather than after it.
What Else Changes About Managing a Block in Gloucestershire
- Planning and building control sit with the district, not the county. The county council handles social care, roads, libraries and waste disposal, and is the lead local flood authority, but it does not determine a planning application for a block.
- South Gloucestershire is a different authority entirely, constituted out of Avon in 1996 rather than from Gloucestershire, and it is unaffected by the reorganisation.
- For any block of at least 18 metres or seven storeys the building control authority is the Building Safety Regulator, not the district council or its partnership. Two different regulators depending on height.
Tribunal Decisions on Blocks in Gloucestershire
Published First-tier Tribunal decisions on named developments here, each read in full. They show what the tribunal expects of whoever runs a block in this area.
| Development | Issue | Decided |
|---|---|---|
| 2 The Waterloo | Section 20 consultation | 4 March 2024 |
| 3 Wynols Close, Broadwell | Service charge | 14 March 2022 |
| 3 Wynols Close, Broadwell | Section 20 consultation | 6 July 2021 |
Going Deeper in Gloucestershire
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Gloucestershire Questions
Does the Reorganisation Affect South Gloucestershire Blocks?
No. South Gloucestershire is a different authority, constituted out of Avon in 1996 rather than from Gloucestershire, and it is unaffected, as is Swindon. The new single council will cover exactly the six existing district areas, with elections in May 2027 and an implementation target of April 2028, subject to Parliament approving the order.
Are Article 4 Directions the Same in Every District?
No. Gloucester has 55 property-level records under two directions, Cotswold 22, Tewkesbury 11, Forest of Dean 2, Cheltenham 1 and Stroud none. Cheltenham's single direction is an HMO control in force since October 2019, and Gloucester has made a further HMO direction dated March 2026 that does not come into force until March 2027.
How Much of the County Lives in Purpose-Built Flats?
At the 2021 Census 30,652 of the county's 279,429 households, 11.0 per cent, were in a purpose-built block, against 17.1 per cent for England, with a further 2.1 per cent in a converted or shared house. The flat stock sits mainly in Cheltenham and Gloucester rather than being spread evenly across the county.
Is the Council for Gloucestershire Changing?
Yes. Reorganisation was decided in July 2026 and takes effect by April 2028. The lease obligations do not change; the authority you file with does.
Nearby Areas
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