Residents to have access to more green space in the Cotswolds

The Green Infrastructure Strategy forms part of the Council’s ambitious plans for the future of the Cotswolds and sets out how it expects new developments in the Cotswold District to be designed. Any new development will be expected to meet the high standards set by the Council to help improve the district. 

The updated strategy sets the expectation that new housing developments will include a wide range of new requirements including: 

• Providing a more attractive place for people to live, work and visit 
• Improve health and wellbeing through access to walking, cycling and other outdoor activities 
• Helping mitigate and adapt to climate change by creating environmentally friendly spaces that help nature thrive  
• Providing sustainable and active travel routes through cycle and walking paths 
• Enabling local food production by providing food growing areas 
• Promoting wildlife corridors to connect areas of habitat 

It is part of wider plans to create a future for the Cotswolds which makes it a better place for people to live in, work in and visit. It will become a key element of the Council’s update to the Local Plan which will be ‘green to the core’, making sure the district is tackling the climate emergency and building communities that support and protect the environment. 

The research carried out and the information gathered ahead of the strategy, identified that despite the image of the Cotswolds as a green, natural landscape, access to green space is limited. The subsequent consultation reaffirmed the findings, that many residents felt that their access to green open spaces in the district was limited. The strategy addresses those concerns for all new housing developments and provides guidance on linking up existing green spaces. 

Cllr Juliet Layton, Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulatory Services, said: “As a Council we are committed to tackling the climate emergency and planning for a better future for the Cotswolds.  

“Through this document we are setting high expectations for developers which we believe will have a real positive impact on existing communities and new developments in the future. 

“Many studies have shown the positive impact getting out into nature can have for our health and wellbeing and our residents have told us they don't have enough access currently. We have listened to that feedback and this plan will create more opportunities to get out into our countryside and create homes and communities fit for the future.”