Cotswold District Council urges government to reconsider unrealistic housing targets in letter to Angela Rayner – as it pledges to update local plan

In a letter sent to the Secretary of State for Communities, Housing and Local Government Angela Rayner, council leader Mike Evemy has urged the Government to “apply common sense” and revisit the housing requirement of 1,036 homes per year – more than double the previous annual figure.

The letter said this was an “unrealistic target, which does not take into account the very unique constraints of development in our district”.

It comes after the council committed to a full local plan update by the end of 2026 – a process that will cost local taxpayers over £1.1million. Until that evidence-based plan is in place, the council is asking the government to pause the increase in its housing target for the district.

“We are not opposed to building homes, indeed we share the government’s ambition to provide more affordable housing,” said Cllr Evemy. “But the current target fails to reflect the reality on the ground. With 80 per cent of our district protected as National Landscape and much of the rest constrained by flood risk or existing development, this figure is simply not deliverable without serious consequences for our communities.”

The council warns that the imposed target and piecemeal development could:

· overwhelm the district’s limited developable land, forcing housing into unsuitable locations, reducing land supply for employment and business growth

· undermine the plan-led system, leaving the area vulnerable to speculative development, and risk costing the council tens of thousands in fighting appeals

· threaten the unique natural beauty and rural character of the Cotswolds

· strain local infrastructure, including roads, schools, and healthcare services, while also impacting the visitor economy

“We ask – until such time that you have our updated Local Plan, and more sufficient and robust evidence to justify a higher target – that you revisit the housing requirements imposed on the Cotswold district, and consider a more proportionate approach,” the letter states.

The council remains committed to delivering affordable and socially rented housing, but insists this must be done in a way that respects the district’s environmental constraints and supports sustainable growth.