A significant housing proposal in Gloucestershire has sparked strong opposition from Forest of Dean MP Matt Bishop. The plan calls for two new towns, aiming to deliver a total of 13,200 homes over the next two decades. Specifically, it includes 3,500 homes in Glynchbrook, Redmarley off the A417, and 2,000 homes off the A40 at Churcham.
While MP Bishop acknowledges the urgent need for new housing, he is firmly against the current strategy put forward by Forest of Dean District Council. He warns that concentrating such large developments in these areas threatens to overwhelm local infrastructure, including roads, healthcare, schools, and community services. Bishop stresses the importance of aligning development with genuine community needs rather than treating it as a mere numerical target.
The Labour MP held a neutral stance during the initial consultation, wanting local residents to express their views freely. Since then, after meeting with residents and visiting the proposed sites, he has publicly opposed the plans. He advocates for a more balanced and fair approach to housing growth—one that spreads development more evenly throughout the district and prioritizes social and affordable housing.
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Forest of Dean District Council, led by Green Party councillors, argues they are constrained by government-imposed housing targets, which nearly doubled last year. Council leader Adrian Birch points out that without an approved local plan, the council risks losing control over future development to speculative applications by developers. The council has appealed the government’s housing numbers but has not succeeded in reducing them.
The draft plan’s public consultation concluded on March 18, and the document is now expected to be submitted for examination by a planning inspector later this autumn. Meanwhile, MP Bishop pledges to keep working with the council and raising concerns at the national level to ensure that infrastructure and community needs remain central to any final strategy.
Bishop concluded: “We need a local plan shaped by local needs—with the right homes in the right places, supported by the necessary infrastructure to benefit the people of the Forest of Dean.”