The Forest Council is to challenge the government over its “ridiculous” housing targets amid concerns the new homes are for Bristol and Cardiff commuters and not locals.

There are concerns the revised 13,200-home target the council is expected to achieve by 2043 will have devastating consequences on the statutory Forest of Dean as well as parts of the Wye Valley and Malvern Hills and national landscapes.

Cllr Philip Burford (Ind, Hartpury and Redmarley) proposed a motion to defer going out to consultation on the council’s Local Plan until a challenge on the target had been made.

He told the meeting of the full council on July 24 that the housing targets would provide for an increase in population of around 40 per cent by 2043.

“We don’t believe that this is in any sense a sustainable way forward,” he said.

He said councils up and down the country have the same problem and many have written to the Government challenging the housing targets.

“Most of them are stating the special characteristics of their areas,” he said.

“We have sites of special scientific interest in the Wye Valley, Malvern Hills and Walmore Common.

“We have Ramsar sites (wetlands of international importance), we have special areas of conservation.

“We have locally valued landscapes and that’s before we even start thinking about mentioning the statutory Forest.

“And don’t forget the vale of Gloucester and all of our best and most versatile farmland.”

Cllr Ian Whitburn (Ind, Coleford) said the council needs to make a statement.

“We should refuse to do this plan until we get some help from the Government to lower these figures,” he said.

“We need more social housing, we need loads of it.

“We all know what we are doing at the moment is building houses for people who live in Bristol, people who live in Gloucester, Cheltenham and Cardiff to travel to work in those places.

“We’ve got no jobs in the Forest for these people, so that’s going to be more travel.

“It’s going to be terrible for us here in the Forest. We are going to lose loads of farmland.

“As much as we need houses for local people, these will be four bedroom detached homes people can make a lot of money on.

Council leader Adrian Birch (Green, Tidenham) agreed with the points made and suggested strong representations to the Government over the “ludicrous” targets while proceeding with the consultation on the Local Plan.

He said: “We need to get this Local Plan approved by the time this district ceases to exist,” he said.

“Any delay at this stage could be catastrophic to that programme.

“I think it would be disingenuous to our residents not to undertake the consultation in the timescale we’ve set.

“We need their voice as much as we need yours.”

The council voted to continue with the local plan consultation which will start on July 31.

Councillors also agreed to write to the government objecting to the housing targets.