Calls to Rule Out New Town Near M50 Blasted as “Nimbyism” amid Proposal for Homes near Towns with Traffic Issues

Calls to rule out a new town next to the M50 have been blasted as “nimbyism” amid a suggestion thousands of homes should instead be built near towns already suffering from “terrible” traffic.
Hundreds of people signed an open letter last week calling for controversial plans for 3,500 homes near Redmarley in the north of the Forest of Dean district to be discarded from a council’s new blueprint for housing.
The Forest of Dean District Council is in the process of creating a new local plan which will set out where development takes place in the district over the next 20 years.
They have been tasked by the Government with finding land for more than 13,000 homes to build during that timeframe.
Under the previous draft plan, which was withdrawn in June, a new town was suggested at Glynchbrook off the A417, near the Ledbury junction of the M50 as well as a separate 2,000 home town on the A40 at Churcham near Gloucester.
Residents in the Redmarley area warn the Glynchbrook site remains “unsustainable” and they instead suggest expanding Lydney and Tutshill.
Campaign group United Against Glynchbrook claimed a further 3,200 to 4,600 could be built around Lydney’s existing rail station, schools and high street.
But civic chiefs in the south of the Forest believe that is a terrible suggestion as the Severnside town lacks its own hospital, needs more facilities and commuters already face “terrible” traffic on the A48.
Land for some 3,000 homes had already been identified between Lydney and Chepstow in the withdrawn draft plan.
And councillors fear re-allocating the thousands of homes planned for Glynchbrook to that area would make matters worse.
Lydney East Councillor Alan Preest (R) said it is naive of people in the Redmarley area to think those homes could be built in Lydney or near Chepstow.
“No disrespect to the people near Glynchbrook but they’ve got a motorway on their doorstep,” he said.
“That is existing infrastructure. That’s something we haven’t got in the south of the Forest.
He said he sympathises with the people of Glynchbrook and agrees that the Forest of Dean’s housing target is ridiculous.
But he believes they should have consulted with councillors in the south of the Forest before suggesting they could take the extra 3,500 homes.
“They should have really had the courtesy of speaking with the local members in this area,” he said.
“We’ve been doing this for years.
“But at the end of the day, I don’t want them chucking stuff out of there, with a bit of nimbyism, chucking stuff down here.
“I can prove we are really struggling for infrastructure down here with the houses we’ve already got without building a load more.”
He said the Severnside town has lost its community hospital in recent years, shops are closing and the schools are struggling with capacity.
“Kids are being shipped out,” he said.
“We’ve got the urban sprawl that is Oakdale of 900 houses with no facilities whatsoever. There’s no community centre there.
“We’ve got roads that are absolutely congested to high heaven going both to Gloucester and Chepstow.”
He said Lydney has been turned into a commuter town in recent years and is “reaching a saturation point”.
Tidenham Councillor Nick Evans, who represents the Tidenham ward, which includes Sedbury and Tutshill areas which had been earmarked for more housing in the draft local plan.
He believes a Chepstow bypass is vital to fix the “terrible” traffic problems the area is already facing.
“Whether you are looking at the northern or the southern end of the Forest of Dean, it’s clear that local people know that we simply don’t have the infrastructure or services to support the sort of massive developments that the Labour Government are trying to impose on our district,” he said.
“Without substantial investment first, we will do irreparable harm to places that are already overloaded and grinding to a halt, as the terrible traffic problems this summer are already showing.
“My area desperately needs a Forest Gateway Road to support anywhere near a new village at Beachley.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

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