Outrage at plans to ‘construct new metropolis like Milton Keynes’ in Cotswolds
A row has erupted over ‘secret’ plans to build thousands of new houses in the Cotswolds, with its political leader saying the new development would be akin to building a new city like Milton Keynes.
Cotswold District Council’s Liberal Democrat leader, Joe Harris, has fiercely criticised the idea of building 23,000 new homes between Cirencester and Kemble.
It forms part of a leaked document showing that Gloucestershire County Council had been developing a long-term growth vision for the county since 2020.
The county council document, which had previously been shared with the leadership of all the county’s district councils, suggested creating several garden towns to help build 142,000 across Gloucestershire by 2051.
Some 36,000 of these new homes would be built in the Cotswolds and one such newly designed town could be built at Kemble and would link Cirencester to the village’s railway station.
Countryside overlooking the village of Kemble, near Cirencester
A leaked document showed that Gloucestershire County Council had been developing a long-term growth vision for the county since 2020 (Pictured)
Councillor Joe Harris, leader of Cotswold District Council
Councillor Harris fears the scale of the proposals would create a new city like Milton Keynes and would impact negatively on the Cotswolds’ uniquely beautiful character and its infrastructure.
But the county council’s Conservative leader, Mark Hawthorne, says the leaked document was produced ‘with the full knowledge and involvement of the six districts, including Cotswold District Council’.
Its purpose was purely to stimulate a countywide conversation about strategic spatial needs and it will ultimately be up to each district to decide where housing is built, he said.
But Councillor Harris criticised the secretive nature of the document and questioned the viability of the plans. They would nearly double the existing housing stock of the Cotswolds, which has around 38,000 homes.
He said: ‘These plans are staggering to say the least. It would create a new city like Milton Keynes in the Cotswolds.
‘Doubling the number of dwellings in our district isn’t a sustainable solution to the housing crisis, it’s simply unworkable and would lack community support.
Cirencester town centre (File image)
Milton Keynes town center on a summer day (File image)
‘The Cotswolds are world-renowned as a special place to visit and developing new affordable homes is already hard as 80 percent of our district is in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
‘As a result, most of the development in our area is already falling on Cirencester and Moreton-in-Marsh which are just outside of the AONB.
‘Our approach should prioritise developing brown-field sites and smaller-scale developments that offer genuinely affordable housing while preserving our area’s distinctive character.
‘Our roads, sewage network, and healthcare services are already stretched thinly. Implementing these proposals would only exacerbate these challenges, turning the Cotswolds into a construction site for the foreseeable future.
‘These plans were concocted behind closed doors, with little regard for transparency or genuine community engagement.’
Councillor Hawthorne said the document was produced, with the full knowledge and involvement of the six districts, to help the districts to produce their local plans.
He said: ‘Councillor Harris knows that the county council has no responsibility for housing, but we do have responsibility to work with district councils on transport issues and this document is a direct result of us working with all six districts to do just that. It cannot, and will never be a county council policy or plan as this is beyond our statutory powers.’
Councillor Harris acknowledged that the county council did share the document with his council and some meetings took place about the strategy – but he said he had not had been involved in any of them.
He added: ‘These plans have been the brainchild of the county council, authored by them, pushed by them and led by them.
‘The Conservatives wanted to keep this secret from the public and the only reason the public are aware of them now is because they have been leaked.
‘That’s the key point here. I’m pleased to hear Councillor Hawthorne state that this is not county council policy and hope he’ll make an unequivocal statement that these plans are being consigned to the dustbin.’
