Cheltenham and Gloucester Growth Since 1975
How Cheltenham, Gloucester and the villages around them have been built up since 1975, mapped from satellite data in five-year steps.
- 1975 to 2020 in five-year steps
- 8,625 hectares built up in 2020
- 9 postcode districts
How Cheltenham and Gloucester Have Grown
This map shows how much of Cheltenham, Gloucester and the surrounding villages was built up in 1975, and how the towns have spread since. Each area is shaded by when it was first built up, from the darkest blue for land already built on by 1975 to the palest for the most recent homes and buildings.
Move the slider to step forward five years at a time. The land built up in the latest five years is outlined, so you can see where new estates appeared on the edges of Cheltenham and Gloucester, and how villages such as Bishop’s Cleeve have grown. Click any area to see its postcode district and when it was built up, or compare the districts in the table below the map.
For more about the town, its history and how its population has changed, see all about Cheltenham. For the homes being planned now, see planning applications, and for what homes cost, see house prices.
Built-Up Area Map
Shaded by when each area was first built up; the newest five years are outlined
Built-Up Area by Postcode District
Across the nine postcode districts, 5,503 hectares were built up in 1975 and 8,625 by 2020, 3,122 hectares more.
Hectares counted as built up, 1975 to 2020
| District | 1975 | 1995 | 2020 | Added since 1975 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GL1 | 585 | 633 | 655 | 70 |
| GL2 | 935 | 1,335 | 1,776 | 841 |
| GL3 | 561 | 709 | 861 | 300 |
| GL4 | 757 | 990 | 1,091 | 334 |
| GL50 | 342 | 392 | 418 | 76 |
| GL51 | 908 | 1,162 | 1,300 | 392 |
| GL52 | 673 | 931 | 1,116 | 443 |
| GL53 | 331 | 479 | 514 | 183 |
| GL54 | 411 | 648 | 894 | 483 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What Counts as Built Up?
- The map divides the area into squares 100 metres across. A square counts as built up once buildings cover at least 10% of it, roughly a scattering of houses with gardens, and stays built up from then on. Single squares or pairs on their own, such as an isolated barn, are left out so the map shows settlements rather than every building.
Which Areas Does the Map Cover?
- Nine postcode districts: GL1 to GL4 cover Gloucester, GL50 to GL53 cover Cheltenham and nearby villages such as Bishop's Cleeve, and GL54 covers the Cotswold villages east of Cheltenham. Each hectare is one 100-metre square.
Why Does the Map Stop at 2020?
- The figures come from satellite images, and 2020 is the latest year measured so far. Later years will be added when a new edition of the data is published, so homes finished in the last few years are not shown yet.
Why Might the Earliest Years Look Smaller Than They Were?
- The figures for the 1970s and 1980s come from older satellite images that show less detail, so some buildings from those years are missed. That makes the town look a little smaller than it was early on and growth look slightly larger, so treat the earliest figures as an estimate.
Why Are the Edges Rounded?
- The data is measured in 100-metre squares, so the edges are smoothed to make the map easier to read. An outline can be up to about 50 metres out, so use the map to see how areas have grown rather than to check a single street.
About This Data
Data from the European Commission Global Human Settlement Layer (GHS-BUILT-S R2023A), published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Cite as: Pesaresi, M. et al. (2024) Advances on the Global Human Settlement Layer by joint assessment of Earth Observation and population survey data. International Journal of Digital Earth, 17(1), doi.org/10.1080/17538947.2024.2390454. Last updated 1 November 2026.