At a specially convened council meeting held on Tuesday 9th December, sick councillors voted on changes to the draft Stroud District Local Plan which was submitted to the government for assessment last year.
The council has now launched a consultation on the proposed changes to the plan, the comments from which will be considered by the government’s planning inspector during the plan’s examination later this year.
The planning inspector has not yet decided whether overall housing and employment targets will change but wants the council to consult on the main site proposals, which are:
- increasing the number of houses on brownfield land at Brimscombe Port, Ham Mill and Wimberley Mills within the Stroud Valleys
- a new housing and employment site allocation to the west of Stonehouse
- a new employment policy supporting the GREEN Academy at Berkeley
Other changes include more detailed policy wording to prevent flood risks and improving the wastewater and sewerage network; to avoid adverse impacts on wildlife sites; and to support the transport network.
Councillor Geoff Wheeler, leader of Stroud District Council, said: “All of the professional evidence and advice indicates that we need to increase the number of new homes built, otherwise we risk having our plan rejected and a free-for-all with uncontrolled development across the district. This is obviously undesirable. We need to make sure that we have the correct balance of employment opportunities and housing to deliver a sustainable economic future. We’re all agreed that we need more homes, but as I have said before, when it comes to deciding where they need to be built it is much more contentious as we’re caught between the proverbial rock and hard place. Councillors have already had to make tough and important decisions to get us this far with a view to ensuring that the long term future of the district is protected for future generations.”
The following table summarises the main proposed changes to the draft local plan housing supply figures:
| Previously submitted plan | New figures | |
| HOUSING ALLOCATIONS – ie proposed numbers and locations of future homes | ||
| Hunts Grove Extension | 500 | 500 |
| North East Cam | 450 | 450 |
| Sharpness | 300 | 300 |
| Stroud Valleys | 300 | 450 |
| West of Stonehouse | – | 1,350 |
| Council Housing Programme | 150 | 150 |
| Dispersal / windfall | 750 | 750 |
| Total allocations and windfall | 2,450 | 3,950 |
The consultation runs from Wednesday 11 February until 5pm on Wednesday 25 March. Documents can be viewed on the council’s website, at Ebley Mill, local libraries and parish council offices. Comments can be made by filling in a comments form and emailing it to local.plan@stroud.gov.uk or by sending it to The Planning Strategy Team, Stroud District Council, Ebley Mill, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 4UB.