Local leaders and residents are voicing strong concerns over plans to build two new towns in West Gloucestershire, warning that the development could create a “doughnut of deprivation” in the Forest of Dean. The district council is preparing to recommend a new local plan that would guide development until 2045, aiming to deliver more than 13,000 new homes in that period.
The Green Party-led approach in Coleford proposes concentrating housing and employment growth within existing main towns, alongside smaller expansions in larger villages. However, critics argue that geographic constraints mean the new towns would inevitably be positioned on the district’s fringes, populated primarily by commuters traveling outside the Forest for work.
Independent Councillor John Francis, who previously helped halt plans for a garden town in Churcham, criticized the strategy for failing to place new homes where they are truly needed. He emphasized the need to revitalize the Forest’s rural communities by increasing housing in existing towns by around 12%, and creating a larger development near Lydney, which benefits from a main road and train station. According to Francis, this approach would leave approximately 2,000 homes to be distributed across the district, breathing new life into smaller communities.
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“We need multi-use developments that enable people to live and work locally, reducing the need to travel away from their communities,” he said. “Any large settlement on the outskirts risks turning the Forest of Dean into a deprivation doughnut—where the outer rings thrive but the central towns wither as residents commute elsewhere.”
The Forest of Dean District Council’s cabinet is scheduled to consider the local plan strategy on November 6, with a full council debate set for November 13. The coming decisions will shape the future of housing and development in the district for the next two decades.