Community input shapes next steps in Cotswold District Council’s Local Plan update
Council publishes summary of consultation responses - and is continuing to thoroughly consider feedback, assess sites and complete technical evidence before publishing the next draft Local Plan later in the summer
Cotswold District Council has published a summary of more than 3,500 comments which it received during its recent Local Plan consultation.
More detailed analysis is ongoing to ensure the responses are fully considered to inform the next draft of the Plan, which will be published in the summer.
Over 2,000 people and organisations took part in the consultation at the end of last year, which sought views on high-level, indicative options to meet a target of building 18,650 new homes over the next 18 years.
This marked a key milestone in the Council’s work to fully update its Local Plan, which it is doing in response to the government more than doubling the number of homes that the district must plan for.
During the consultation period, the Council also invited landowners and communities to propose potential development land through a district wide “Call for Sites”, resulting in more than 2030 sites being submitted for consideration.
All sites made available for potential development now require assessment – some in considerable detail – before being included in or excluded from the final version of the updated Plan.
“I want to thank every resident, town or parish council, and organisation that took part in this consultation. The level of engagement shows how much people care about the future of our district." - Cllr Mike Evemy, Leader of Cotswold District Council.
As part of the consultation, many residents said the high housing requirement is unrealistic given that more than 80 per cent of the district is in the Cotswolds National Landscape, which has a high level of protection. They warned that directing development into the remaining areas could lead to unsustainable growth.
People across the district also highlighted longstanding infrastructure pressures – from sewage and water supply, to roads, public transport, schools and healthcare – stressing that major upgrades must come before new homes. Concerns were also raised about landscape and heritage impacts, flooding, biodiversity loss and the character of villages.
Responses showed that while some supported focusing growth near services and public transport, others doubted whether existing infrastructure can cope with the scale proposed.
Views on housing density were mixed: there was support for well-designed, affordable homes on brownfield land, but caution about higher-density schemes in sensitive rural locations.
Cllr Mike Evemy, Leader of Cotswold District Council, said: “I want to thank every resident, town or parish council, and organisation that took part in this consultation. The level of engagement shows how much people care about the future of our district.
"In the summer, the Council will present the next draft of the Plan and publish the consultation comments in full, alongside all supporting evidence.
"Work to develop the Plan has continued over the first three months of this year. At a summer meeting of Full Council, members will consider the next draft ahead of further public consultation, known as the Regulation 19 consultation."
Given the volume of responses and the number of sites requiring assessment, Cllr Evemy asked members at Wednesday’s March meeting to agree to set that summer meeting for 12 August.
Cllr Evemy continued: “As intended, we will publish a draft of the Local Plan, along with a substantial amount of technical evidence, this summer. It’s essential we have an up-to-date Local Plan as soon as possible to protect against speculative development and ensure new homes come with the infrastructure our communities need. We are on track to submit the updated Plan to the Secretary of State before the end of the year, as intended.
“By meeting on 12 August, council officers will have the time they need to ensure the Local Plan we intend to submit is robust, evidence-led and reflects the feedback we’ve received. Everything will be published before that meeting, enabling further consultation in the late summer.”
If the Local Plan is agreed by Full Council, the next stage of consultation would begin in the week of 24 August 2026.
The full summary of consultation responses is attached.