By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter
The Cotswolds’ treasured landscape is “at risk of irreparable harm” if the Government does not change its “unrealistic” new target to build thousands of new homes.
That is the view of Cotswold District Council’s Liberal Democrat leader Mike Evemy (Siddington and Cerney Rural) who has written to Angela Rayner, the secretary of state for communities, housing and local government.
He is calling on the Government to rethink the “disproportionate, unsustainable, and risk irreparable harm” housing targets which have been set for the district.
Cllr Evemy has urged the Government to “apply common sense” and revisit the housing requirement of 1,036 homes per year – more than double the previous annual figure.
The letter said this was an “unrealistic target, which does not take into account the very unique constraints of development in our district”.
It comes after just under a week since the council committed to a full local plan update by the end of 2026 – a process that will cost local taxpayers over £1.1million.
Until that evidence-based plan is in place, the council is asking the government to pause the increase in its housing target for the district.
“We are not opposed to building homes, indeed we share the government’s ambition to provide more affordable housing,” said Cllr Evemy.
“But the current target fails to reflect the reality on the ground. With 80 per cent of our district protected as National Landscape and much of the rest constrained by flood risk or existing development, this figure is simply not deliverable without serious consequences for our communities.”
The council warns that the imposed target and piecemeal development could overwhelm the district’s limited developable land – this would force housing into unsuitable areas and reduce land for employment use.
The target will also undermine the plan-led system, leaving the area vulnerable to speculative development, and risk costing the council tens of thousands in fighting appeals.
The area’s unique natural beauty and rural character of the Cotswolds would be at risk.
And the new homes would strain local infrastructure, including roads, schools, and healthcare services, while also impacting the visitor economy
“We ask – until such time that you have our updated Local Plan, and more sufficient and robust evidence to justify a higher target – that you revisit the housing requirements imposed on the
Cotswold district, and consider a more proportionate approach,” the letter states.
The council says it remains committed to delivering affordable and socially rented housing, but insists this must be done in a way that respects the district’s environmental constraints and supports sustainable growth.