Forest of Dean District Council leaders have caved in to public pressure and will revisit plans to build a new village in Churcham.
Forest of Dean District Council leaders have caved in to public pressure and will revisit plans to build a new village in Churcham.
More than 7,000 people have signed a petition against proposals which could lead to the construction of 4,000 homes on fields between the A40 and A48.
And the petition was presented to the district council yesterday (Thursday, May 20) which led to councillors backing a move to reconsider the idea.
Last year, district council leaders had agreed in principle to allocate the area for development in their emerging new local plan.
The council is under pressure to find land for thousands more houses than they originally thought to meet revised Government targets.
And they are currently developing a new local plan which will set out which areas of the Forest will be earmarked for development from 2021 to 2041.
The council was considering allocating many of the fields in Churcham for development to help meet the housin demand but district leaders now say they will reconsider their options.
They will consider whether to continue with or scrap the idea of creating a new village or town to meet their targets.
If they do pursue the creation of a new village, areas such as Huntley and near the M50 are other alternatives which may be considered.
However, many campaigners believe the solution to the Forest’s housing woes lies in developing the existing towns rather than creating a new one.
Parish council chairman John Francis said he was delighted with the response by councillors.
“I am truly humbled by the level of support and passion aroused by the petition,” he said.
“With the Forest of Dean District Council vote we can finally engage and develop the Forest of Dean district to benefit all.
“But the key is to be engaged by the district council in the process and be listened to.”
Climate and planning cabinet member Chris McFarling said it was to be expected that people would be “up in arms” about plans to create 4,000 homes in the area where they live.
However, he said the district council is under an obligation by Government to meet the housing targets they are given.
“Whether we like it or not, we have got to have a plan which is examined and approved by the inspector so that it can be applied to the district,” he said.
“It has got to be sustainable because if we don’t do that, the developers can apply to build wherever they like and planning inspectors will favour them in an appeal.
“What happened yesterday is that I moved a motion that the petition be formally included in the consultation.
“It doesn’t mean that Churcham is out. It will mean we will look again at the whole issue of where we allocate a new settlement.
“We will be looking at the principle of how we allocate housing and whether the idea of a new settlement is still worthwhile.
“There are some other options for a settlement, near the M50 and also around Huntley.”
