Thousands of new homes planned for villages in the Forest of Dean

District planners want to see major villages across the Forest take an extra 907 houses

Civic leaders have backed their preferred option for where they want developers to build thousands of new homes in Gloucestershire over the next 20 years.

Lydney, Newent and Beachley will be getting most of the 7,440 new homes planned for the Forest of Dean, according to council local plan strategy.

District planners also want to see major villages across the Forest take an extra 907 houses while smaller villages will have a target of 554 new homes.

The Forest of Dean District Council local plan strategy suggests Lydney will get more than 1,300 extra homes while Newent and Beachley are earmarked for 600 houses each.

Cinderford and Coleford are constrained by the statutory forest and are expected to grow by an extra 100 homes each by the year 2041.

Council leader Tim Gwilliam (The Progressive Independents, Berry Hill) said it was important to get the public consultation underway as soon as possible.

He said their local plan was “not just about plonking some houses somewhere”. He said the council wants to examine the economic, social and environmental priorities and opportunities a new plan could bring.

“Our strategy will have to include all departments of this council and our parish and town councils will not just have to play a major role but must also be able to trust they will be listened to.”

He said Lydney has been let down by previous local plans and he sees this latest one as an opportunity to build on the town’s position and turn it into a “gateway to the Forest”.

The draft local plan has now parked the idea of creating a new garden village to help meet the district’s housing needs.

But at Sunday's (22 July) council meeting Green Party councillors put forward an amendment which proposed reintroducing the principle of a new settlement in the plan.

They raised concerns that there is unlikely to be enough unconstrained land around Lydney to provide the housing numbers proposed.

And they fear the high housing numbers for the villages will likely damage communities and the environment.

“The strong element of ‘dispersal’ of housing sites in this proposal seems designed to distress the maximum number of residents,” the Green amendment read.

However, council officers ruled out the legality of the amendment despite the disagreement of other councillors.

Conservative Councillor Alan Preest (C, Lydney East) called for a full five day consultation about the plan in Lydney and raised concerns about a potential problem with the Labour administration in Monmouthshire County Council opposing a Chepstow bypass.

“There’s a problem with Monmouthshire County Council which could be a big thorn in the side of Lydney and Beachley developments.”

The 17th century village pub that's owned by more than 100 of its locals
The eight-year-old boy who has written a book to fund his new wheelchair

Cllr Gwilliam said he has not spoken to Monmouthshire County Council but has written to Secretary of State for Wales Robert Buckland who he wishes to invite to show him the opportunities and restrictions in Lydney and Chepstow.

“If this is going to work [the people of Lydney] are going to have to be part of it.”

The Council voted to approve the revised draft strategy for the Forest of Dean District Local Plan for consultation and approve an eight week formal consultation exercise by 25 votes to for it with four Green councillors voting against and one abstention.

Credit: Carmelo Garcia, Local Democracy Reporter