The Alternative to New Towns

Why "New Towns" Aren't the Answer: 

There is a better path for the Forest of Dean District to follow.

That word District is so very important. The District covers an area from the other side of Redmarley to the Welsh Border and Sedbury and Tutshill, and every voice is equally important. 

The Forest of Dean District is at a crossroads. With the government's recent demand for a massive increase in housing targets—requiring roughly 13,000 new homes by 2045—the District Council is facing immense pressure. Their current " Green solution"? Carving massive, 4,000-home "new settlements" out of our rural landscape at sites like Churcham or Glynchbrook. While the need for housing is undeniable, the "New Settlement" strategy is a fundamentally flawed approach for our district. 

Here is why we need to move away from "commuter colonies" and instead look to the strength of our existing town councils.

1. The "Commuter Estate" Trap. The proposed new settlements are positioned on the fringes of the district, essentially acting as feeders for Gloucester and Cheltenham and in the case of Sedbury, Bristol.

Instead of building a vibrant Forest economy, we risk creating "dormitory villages" where residents live in the Forest District area but spend their money, do their jobs, and socialise elsewhere.

This is a missed opportunity to keep wealth and talent within our own borders.

2. Infrastructure: Promises vs. Reality. We have all seen it before: thousands of houses are built, but the promised schools, GP surgeries, and road improvements arrive years late—if at all.

• The A40 and A48 are already at breaking point. Adding thousands of cars from a single concentrated point will lead to gridlock.

• Environmental Risks: Proposals like Churcham sit on low-lying land. In an era of climate change, building thousands of homes on potential floodplains isn't just poor planning; it's a disaster waiting to happen.

3. Starving Our Existing Towns of Investment. By pouring all planning resources and infrastructure funding into two giant new sites, we neglect the very towns that are the heartbeat of the Forest. Coleford, Cinderford, Lydney, and Newent are crying out for regeneration.

• Existing shops need more footfall.

• Local businesses need modern industrial spaces.

• High streets need a "critical mass" of residents to remain viable.

• We need more affordable social housing for local people

A Better Way Forward: 

Collaborative Growth. 

The alternative is simple but requires more political effort: Working directly with our Town Councils to deliver organic, sustainable growth. Instead of two giant blots on the landscape, we should be looking at "Goldilocks" growth—development that is "just right" for each specific community.

• Jobs-Led Development: Growth should be tied to the creation of business parks and workshops. If we build 500 homes in a town, we must ensure there are 500 jobs (or the infrastructure for remote working/start-ups) to go with them.

• Strengthening the High Street: By integrating new housing within or adjacent to our existing towns, we provide the customer base our local independent shops need to survive.

• Democratic Consent: Town Councils know their land better than anyone. By working with them to identify brownfield sites and sustainable extensions, we ensure that growth happens with the community, not to it.

• Protecting our "Green Lung": Distributing housing more evenly across established urban areas protects our most precious asset—the open forest and the rural gaps that give our district its unique character.

The Bottom Line

We don't need "New Towns" that belong in a different county. We need a Forest of Dean District plan that respects our heritage and boosts our local economy. Let's stop looking for the "easy win" and " Green Party Valhalla" of a giant housing estate and start doing the hard work of revitalising the towns we already love. Housing numbers can be met, but only in a way that brings prosperity, jobs, and a future to our existing communities. It's not an easy job, you need to go and face those Town Councils, understand that they have for years been let down by a planning system that has delivered homes but no infrastructure, dumped large homes that few locals can even think of owning or renting and where affordable social housing has become an afterthought or an add-on.

Include our major parishes and villages like Sedbury, Mitcheldean, and Bream in those conversations. Sit down with Redmarley and Churcham, listen to them and plan together, don't just inform and direct.