Building the right homes for the Cotswold district – not just more houses

Why are we talking about housing targets now? 
Cotswold District Council has always worked hard to balance two priorities: supporting new homes and protecting the unique character of our district. We’ve consistently met national housing delivery tests, maintained a pipeline of land to supply new homes over a minimum five-year period since 2015, and adopted a Local Plan that sets out sustainable growth. But recent changes to national planning policy have upended that balance. 

The government has more than doubled our housing target through changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and a new “Standard Method” – a formula based on house prices and local earnings to calculate housing targets in local planning areas. The result? We must now plan for over 1,000 homes a year in a district where 80% of land is protected as National Landscape. Because the target means we don’t have a five-year supply of land allocated for housing, we are also vulnerable to piecemeal development, without much infrastructure, that will be looked on favourably by government if it hits its targets. Our ability to prevent that has been weakened. This could mean the Cotswold district is changed forever - and not for the better. 

We know the district needs more genuinely affordable housing. But huge housing targets won’t achieve that. 

What we’ve done so far to challenge the new target 

Challenged the target before it was imposed 
For years, governments have tried to change how housing numbers are calculated and enforced. In summer 2024, the new government consulted on reforms that would make the Standard Method mandatory, reinstate the five-year land supply rule, and introduce a new calculation that doubled our target. We strongly opposed these proposals - just as we have previous ones - submitting detailed, evidence-based responses. We supported sensible changes, but warned that pushing our figure above 1,000 homes a year would leave the district open to speculative development. Despite our objections, the government pressed ahead – publishing new policy in December 2024. Our stance remains clear: growth must be realistic and sustainable. 

Explored legal options 
When the new government targets were published in December 2024, we sought legal advice on whether we could argue that we still had a five-year housing land supply. The advice was that we couldn’t.  

Other councils, like East Hampshire District Council, are exploring whether exceptional circumstances could justify a lower figure through their Local Plan. We’re working with them, and are seeking further advice on whether we can challenge the target in other ways. As it stands, however, no local planning authority has successfully challenged the government through the legal system. 

Written to ministers and invited dialogue 
We’ve twice written to the Secretary of State, highlighting that 80% of our land is significantly constrained by National Landscape and asking for a review. Both times, we were told that wasn’t possible - but the government confirmed councils can justify lower figures in their Local Plan where constraints exist. In October, we invited the new Secretary of State to visit the Cotswold district to see these constraints first-hand. 

Engaged local MPs 
Our two MPs - Dr Roz Savage (South Cotswolds) and Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (North Cotswolds) - strongly oppose the targets. They’ve jointly written to the Secretary of State requesting a meeting, and we remain in close contact with their offices. 

Updating our Local Plan at pace 
We’re consulting on development strategy options to respond to the target. We must show we’ve explored every option so that, when we submit our plan next year - potentially with a lower figure - we can demonstrate why the target can’t be met. Our preferred option currently falls 4,000 homes short of the government’s figure. Over the next 12 months, we’ll refine what’s achievable based on evidence, viability, and community feedback. 

Refusing inappropriate development 
We’ve refused proposals that fail to meet our standards, including 30 homes in Chipping Campden and 195 in Moreton-in-Marsh - citing harm to the landscape, poor design, and lack of infrastructure. A further 120-home scheme near Mickleton was withdrawn after being recommended for refusal. This shows we won’t rubber-stamp housing just to hit the government targets. 

We’ll go further 

We’re working with town and parish councils, local government bodies, and other authorities to keep pressure on ministers - all while updating our Local Plan. 

Why this matters 

Housing policy isn’t just about numbers. It’s about people, places, and prosperity. Delivering thousands of homes without the roads, schools, utilities, and health services to support them would harm communities, not help them. It would erode the very qualities that make the Cotswolds special - qualities that underpin our economy and global reputation. And it risks worsening climate impacts. 

We’re deeply concerned about: 

• Infrastructure capacity: Can roads, utilities, and public services cope with this scale of growth? If not, who pays for upgrades - and are they even possible? We rely on companies like Thames Water, whose ability to deliver is beyond our control. 

• Environmental impact: How do we preserve our historic environment and biodiversity while meeting these targets? 
• Community cohesion: What happens if villages are merged into towns or expanded beyond recognition? 

These aren’t abstract questions—they affect every resident and every business in the district. 

The right homes, in the right places… 

Cotswold District Council is not anti-housing. We know the district faces an affordability crisis. The average house price here is 14 times the average local salary. Young people who grew up in the Cotswolds are being priced out of their own communities. We need more affordable homes - there’s no denying that. 

But the solution isn’t eye-watering housing targets that produce unsustainable development. Our ambition is clear: more affordable, energy-efficient homes within strong communities, not thousands of houses dropped into the countryside without the infrastructure and jobs to support them. 

If developers bring forward proposals that: 

• Deliver high levels of affordability, 

• Are well-designed and low-carbon, 

• Are located in the right places, 

• Provide the infrastructure and jobs communities need, 
• And respect the Cotswolds’ unique character, 

…then those proposals are likely to get our support. That’s why the tagline for our Local Plan update is “Homes, landscapes, livelihoods.” Growth must enhance all three. 

Our commitment 

We’ll keep fighting for a housing target that reflects the reality of our district. At the same time, we’ll work with developers, communities, and government to deliver the homes we need - affordable, sustainable, and in the right places. 

Our Local Plan update is central to this. It will set out a long-term vision for growth that: 

• Tackles affordability, 

• Preserves our landscapes, 

• Supports livelihoods, 
• And ensures infrastructure keeps pace. 

We invite residents to engage with this process. Your voice matters. Together, we can shape a future where the Cotswolds remains a place people can afford to live, work, and thrive - without sacrificing what makes it special. Take part in the consultation, and tell us what you think of the startegies we’re proposing to meet the government’s housing target by heading here. 

And please, write to your MP. They represent you at national level - and housing targets are set nationally. The more voices your MPs hear, the harder it is for government to ignore the reality on the ground.