Plans to develop approximately 7,600 new homes in the Cirencester area have prompted questions about the ability of the A417 and A419 corridor to accommodate increased traffic volumes.
Cotswold District Council is currently preparing its new local plan, which will guide development across the district through to 2043. As part of this strategy, planners must identify sites for 18,900 new homes, with an emphasis on creating ten strategic locations intended to house 90 per cent of this growth.
However, the prospect of thousands of additional homes in and south of Cirencester has raised concerns over potential impacts on local transport infrastructure, particularly the A419 and A417 roads.
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One notable area under consideration is Driffield, where proposals could see 1,090 new homes constructed during the plan period, alongside a new primary school, employment areas, and a local centre. Future development in Driffield may increase this figure to 2,220 homes.
At a recent meeting, a local resident voiced worries about these housing allocations, highlighting the strain that the 7,600 homes around Cirencester could place on road capacity. He drew attention to similar issues flagged in the neighbouring Stroud district’s draft plan, where inspectors highlighted junction capacity problems on the M5 at junctions 12 and 14, and questioned whether similar assessments had been made for the A417 and A419 corridor.
He stated: “Cotswold now proposes 7,597 dwellings of allocated capacity in and around Cirencester, of which approximately 6,000 fall within the planned period. At Driffield, your strategic transport assessment models only 1,090 dwellings although the allocation could exceed 2,200. What written confirmation has the council obtained from National Highways that it is satisfied with the assessment of the A417 and A419 corridor for the full allocation?”
In response, Andrew Maxted, interim head of planning policy and infrastructure at Cotswold District Council, explained that the current evidence supporting the Driffield proposals only takes into account development up to 1,090 homes within the plan horizon.
He said: “The evidence is focused on the development proposed up to 2043, which is 1,090 homes. National Highways is primarily engaging on that basis. The plan recognises potential for development beyond 2043 but does not allocate it specifically, so only the housing up to 2043 has been tested at this stage.”
Following these discussions, the council’s overview and scrutiny committee urged officers to re-examine the proposed transport infrastructure to ensure it adequately supports the planned housing growth.
Councillors are scheduled to debate the draft local plan at a special meeting on 12 August. Should the plan be approved, a further public consultation period is planned from 24 August to 5 October 2026, lasting six weeks.