Overview
- The government’s revised standard method requires Cotswold District to plan for 18,650 new homes over 18 years, a jump driven by national data on house prices and used to set local targets.
- Council leader Mike Evemy says the figure is detached from local reality and warns the increase will force large allocations into a small number of unprotected towns and villages that could triple or quadruple in size.
- Cotswold District Council is reviewing public consultation responses and will publish a final draft Local Plan this summer, with submission to the planning inspectorate planned at the end of 2026 and an examination in 2027.
- Housing minister Matthew Pennycook has reaffirmed the revised standard method, declined requests for a ministerial meeting, and said local circumstances must be tested through the Local Plan process.
- Local residents and campaigners cite current strains on water, sewage and road capacity and point to Ministry of Defence warnings about housing near RAF Fairford as key issues the Local Plan examination must address.