Plans to build up to 320 homes in a Gloucestershire town are set to be debated by district councillors next week.
Robert Hitchins Limited is seeking permission from Forest of Dean District Council to develop the land off Lydney Bypass and Naas Lane.
Outline proposals include the creation of a neighbourhood centre, employment land, open space and a new road from the bypass to the 51.1-acre site, which is currently used for farming.
Consultants working on the scheme say the homes would be mainly two-storey buildings with a few of two and a half and three storeys in height.
The plan is to create a single point of access to the A48 from the north east of the site with a roundabout.
The scheme also includes a new road that projects westward from the new roundabout on the A48 and then splits to the north and south.
As it extends to the south, it would form the main street, which is proposed to be a bus route and extends to the southern boundary of the site at the point where it meets Naas Lane.
The plan also shows a point of connection into the land to the north.
Consultants say the town centre would experience a positive increase in turnover further to the planned growth for Lydney.
They say the proposals will not make the existing surface water drainage situation at Lakeside any worse as water run-off rates from the development will not be any greater than that from the existing green field site.
However, Lydney Town Council has objected to the scheme over the omission of the roundabout, which had been approved in previous plans and would unlock access to much-needed employment land at Hurst Farm.
“As the population of our town grows as a result of housing developments it becomes a key requirement for employment opportunities to be provided locally,” a council spokesperson said.
“Failure to provide such would have a catastrophic effect on the socioeconomic status and is contrary to the Lydney Neighbourhood Development Plan and Forest of Dean District Council’s own Core Strategy Document (both Statutory Planning Documents).
“The roundabout is key to unlocking local employment opportunities in Lydney.”
Three residents have also raised concerns over the development’s impact on the nearby Grade II listed Crump Farm.
They also say the proposed junction is impractical and dangerous due to the speed of traffic on the A48.
Planning officers recommend approving the scheme subject to the completion of a Section 106 planning obligation to secure contributions of £1.3m for primary education, £366,298.27 to Lydney Highway Strategy, £138,139 for preschool/nursery education and £62,720 for libraries and £40,401.19 to the Lydney Transport Strategy.
Councillors are due to debate the proposals at a meeting on November 9.
By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter