The FODDC Local Plan

The pressure of increased housing numbers is clearly an issue for all Gloucestershire districts. In the Forest of Dean, however, these numbers could have been dealt with more appropriately and acceptably.

Prior to the current administration taking over the running of the council, there was a local plan proposal that would have delivered the housing numbers by spreading the load throughout the district, and which would also have offered much-needed improved infrastructure by developing Lydney into a true Forest Gateway, improving the town's transport, visitor, employment and retail opportunities and creating a Forest capital. The council owed this to the people of Lydney after some pretty poor planning actions over the years, and it could well have led to dealing with the ridiculous road issues going into Chepstow.

The Greens immediately ceased progression of the plan, not bothering to talk to the large number of organisations and companies that were interested in investing in the area because of the opportunity the plan offered. Instead, they reverted to the new settlement plans that had been so clearly rejected by the public, developers, and professionals previously.

New settlements, heavily weighted in terms of environmental demands, are a Green Party staple and have been an ego trip for several Green Cabinet members for some years. They are using the increased numbers to further steer the council's position.

They will not deliver the necessary housing, and affordable social housing will prove to be unviable; more rural areas will suffer even more than they currently do.

It has been clear for some time that the entire Local Plan consultation has been a pre-determined vanity project for those Greens and the Cllrs who support them

It is a Local Plan to suit the Green Party and not the Forest of Dean, but it's probably too late as Councillors will vote to pass the Green Party Plan in the coming weeks"

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