Local Plan Consultation
Most people will by now be aware of Cotswold District Council’s plans to build nearly 1400 additional new homes in Fairford by 2043, mainly on the east side of the town, in response to a Government requirement to build over 17,000 new homes in the District as a whole, which CDC proposes squeezing mostly into the 20% of the area outside the Cotswolds National Landscape (formerly known as AONB).
To put this in perspective, the requirement being imposed on Fairford is equivalent to one large new housing development (of which we have already has several in the last 15 years) every year from 2028. This is significantly more than was proposed in the previous consultation at the end of 2024.
CDC is proposing some open spaces, a new Primary school, a new medium-sized supermarket (or is it local centre?) and 4 hectares of employment land (for industrial or similar purposes) to go with the housing. Is this sufficient to compensate for the impact of the additional traffic and on already overstretched local services, including the doctor’s surgery, parking capacity, water supply and sewage treatment capacity? Is it even likely to happen in practice? On the basis of experience, you may think the answer is obvious.
An update:
To reassure those who are concerned …that the Town Council has not been doing enough to oppose Cotswold District Council’s plan for up to 1400 new homes in Fairford …
We have:
- Engaged one of the best local planning consultants in the country (who we have worked with before) to help develop Fairford Town Council’s response to the consultation;
- Publicised what we consider to be the most important arguments in opposing the plans, to help guide local residents with their responses;
- Written to the Government, supported by 15 other Parish and Town Councils from across the District, raising detailed issues, some of which they have been unable to answer, about why applying the standard formula for the housing requirement is inappropriate and likely to be ineffective in addressing the local problem of housing affordability;
- Worked together with these other Councils, sharing expert advice where appropriate, to ensure a consistent and effective challenge to the plans, particularly across the south of the District;
- Continued to engage with statutory authorities and Thames Water in particular about issues related to water supply, sewage treatment capacity and local pollution, which are likely to be a constraint on development;
- Looked in detail at the problem of East-West traffic flow capacity through (or around) Fairford and produced an outline specification for studies needed to address this;
- Taken an easy decision to commit to an update of the Fairford Neighbourhood Plan, to address the future needs of the town and local area in a much more effective and sustainable way than CDC’s plan.
We would welcome expressions of interest in helping with the last-mentioned task.
Copies of the consultation and supporting documents can be found in the library and online at Local Plan 2026-2043 - Cotswold District Council
How should people respond to this?
Fairford Town Council has already taken the lead by writing a letter to the Communities Secretary, Angela Rayner, supported by the councils of at least 14 other of the most affected Towns/Parishes from across the District, explaining why the standard method for determining the housing requirement is inappropriate for Cotswold District, particularly in the context of Local Government Reorganisation, and asking for the related provisions affecting planning decisions to be suspended. (Cotswold District Council were supportive of this initiative.) The Government has replied acknowledging most of the main points and saying that the consultation process is the way of dealing with this but has unsurprisingly not agreed to our requests. However, we are going to fight our corner. We are also liaising with the other councils on how best to respond to the Local Plan Consultation.
We are highlighting (among other things):
- Inadequate spatial planning of the proposed strategic extension in the context of the overall town
- Inadequate analysis of the impact of the proposals on the existing town centre and traffic through the town, resulting in inadequate infrastructure proposals and costings
- Non feasibility of the strategic extension in its current form and non-viability, even based on CDC’s flawed proposals
- An inappropriate non-strategic housing allocation in the River Coln Valued Landscape area designated in the Fairford Neighbourhood Plan (2023)
- Inappropriate reliance on statutory duties under other legislation for the delivery of essential upgrades to water supply, sewage treatment and other infrastructure, particularly given the uncertainties surrounding the future of Thames Water.
You can also help by responding to the consultation. https://www.cotswold.gov.uk/planning-and-building/planning-policy/local-plan-2026-2043/
We would suggest focusing on the following:
- Detailed issues concerning the proposed housing sites, including access to them and drainage issues (particularly if you have relevant documentation for evidence)
- Impact on local nature (e.g. Cotswold Water Park Nature Improvement Area) and green space amenity, particularly in the area south of the town around the river
- What permanent new employment opportunities does CDC expect to be created in Fairford, particularly for local young people, and what do they intend to do to attract new employers?
- Existing transport problems, e.g. difficulties getting to different employment of study locations by public transport
- Particular local problem areas for safe pedestrian and cycle access within Fairford
- Difficulties accessing local services e.g. Doctors and Dentists – and what is proposed to address these
It would be helpful to include supporting evidence and also to share this with Fairford Town Council.
Richard Harrison
Planning Committee Chair, Fairford Town Council
