Residents of Gloucestershire have voiced strong opposition to Forest of Dean District Council’s newly launched Nature and Climate Emergency Strategy 2026-2040, which aims to protect biodiversity and promote climate resilience, while simultaneously advancing plans for a large new housing development near the Malvern Hills.
The council recently completed a public consultation on the strategy designed to embed nature recovery into future planning and empower local communities. However, residents point out a glaring contradiction: the authority is also considering the creation of a new 3,500-home settlement called Glynchbrook, near junction two of the M50 motorway.
This development is part of the council’s plan to meet a government directive to provide land for approximately 13,000 new homes over the next two decades. The council argues that concentrating housing in sustainably designed new settlements with proper infrastructure is preferable to dispersing homes across the district.
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Opposition group United Against Glynchbrook strongly challenges this approach. They cite the council’s own assessments which indicate the proposed site is unlikely to qualify as sustainable development. The assessment highlights significant concerns, including landscape damage, insufficient low-carbon transportation options, and flood zones spread throughout the area.
Ironically, the council’s nature and climate strategy emphasizes “net zero development” and commits to scrutinizing planning applications that would have high environmental impacts or high carbon emissions.
Local layout designer Dawn Munn expressed her frustration: “It feels insulting that the council asks us to engage with their nature and climate strategy while planning Glynchbrook—a development their own report says will damage our natural landscape and environment. I want the council to protect the environment, but this plan clearly contradicts that.”
Andrew Elliott, another local resident, echoed these sentiments: “I believe climate change is an emergency and nature must be protected. But the council’s plans to build a huge town on the green belt near the Malvern Hills undermine that. Turning that land into a massive carpark is not green policy—it’s the opposite. It’s infuriating.”
Many residents share the anger, questioning why the council solicits public input on environmental strategies yet does not apply those principles in their planning decisions.
At present, climate emergency cabinet member Chris McFarling has declined to comment on these criticisms. The council will now review consultation feedback on the local plan, including the Glynchbrook proposal, before making a final decision.