Concerns over thousands of new homes plan for Cotswold town
Most are in favour of more new homes, even in their own back yard, but waking up to find the number could be close to 2,135 plus a by-pass is bound to cause concern.
Plans for 2,135 homes in a picturesque Cotswold town have sparked serious concerns as people “woke up” to maps on social media showing a planned bypass “carved through their back gardens”.
A new blueprint for development in the Cotswolds has been put forward by the district council’s Liberal Democrat leadership.
The draft local plan aims to allocate land for 18,900 homes to be built by 2043.
Cotswold District Council leader Mike Evemy (LD, Siddington and Cerney Rural) said the plan is “absolutely vital” to stop speculative development and start building not just houses but sustainable, healthy communities.
Most of the development will take place outside the national landscape with 90 per cent of the housing being proposed in 10 strategic sites.
The news has been met by strong opposition in towns such as Moreton-in-Marsh where residents have been campaigning against overdevelopment for years. The emerging plan identifies around 2,135 extra homes for the market town which currently has a population of around 5,000.
Conservative Councillor Daryl Corps, who represents Moreton West at the district council, said: “Development on that scale would fundamentally alter the size and character of the town,” he said.
“Of particular concern is the proposed multi-modal spine road. The indicative route appears to run from the A429, across the railway and River Evenlode, towards development east of Moreton.
“This is not a modest new road. With a railway and a river to cross, bridges need to be built, drainage and substantial engineering needs to be put in place, it could be a project costing hundreds of millions of pounds.”
He said residents are asking whether the road would actually alleviate any of the town’s existing congestion, simply feed and enable the thousands of new homes being proposed.
“Even more troubling is the way some residents have told me that they woke up to maps circulating on social media showing what amounts to a bypass carved through their back gardens, in some cases almost up to their back doors, without any prior consultation,” he said.
“That is no way to treat residents whose homes could be profoundly affected.
“There is also zero new employment land allocation to accompany the thousands of new homes. Instead, the Cotswold Business centre risks being penned in by housing, with little or no room to expand.
“That is not balanced growth. It risks turning Moreton into an even larger commuter settlement and putting still more traffic onto already pressured roads.”
North Cotswolds MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said achieving the Government-imposed housing target of 18,900 will be difficult. And he believes district leaders could be doing more to oppose the number of houses.
“They are welcoming them with open arms, it seems to me, from their press statement,” he said.
“I don’t think these will be welcomed with open arms by the people of the Cotswolds, particularly those areas such as Moreton.”
He also said if the housing is planned for those areas the district council must ensure infrastructure is built before the new homes.
And that the right mix is needed with more affordable housing as well as one bed and two bed properties to allow people to get on the housing ladder or for elderly people to downsize.
“We need to get the proper infrastructure and that number of houses in Moreton should mean we are due for a new secondary school,” he said.
The Lib Dem leadership at the district council has previously opposed the housing target and branded it “moronic”.
“The council has been clear about the scale of the challenge created by the huge increase in nationally calculated housing need,” Councillor Evemy said last week.
“But failing to progress a new local plan does not remove the pressure for development. Instead, it simply leaves our communities more exposed to speculative proposals and the council with the risk of costly appeals.
“It would leave us with less influence over where growth takes place, the quality of developments, and the infrastructure delivered alongside them.
“These are difficult choices, but avoiding them would not protect the Cotswolds.
“This is a plan we can stand behind. It is rigorous, it is considered, and it offers the best route to take control of our district’s future.
The proposed local plan will be considered by the overview and scrutiny committee on August 3, and then by the cabinet on August 6 before full council has its say on August 12, 2026.
Subject to approval, another six-week consultation will run from August 24 to October 5.
The council will then consider the representations received and may recommend additional modifications for the inspector to consider.
By Carmelo Garcia, local democracy reporter for Gloucestershire. carmelo.garcia@reachplc.com
*The Raikes Journal is the only independent news outlet in Gloucestershire approved to use the copy of the BBC local government reporting service. Why? Only independent, credible journalistically-led platforms that meet the BBC’s high standards win that permission.