FOREST of Dean District Council has launched a public consultation on the future of housing and development in the district, with residents being asked to help decide how thousands of new homes should be delivered over the next 20 years.

The Local Plan, which sets the framework for growth up to 2043, has been sent back to the drawing board after a government change significantly increased the number of houses the Forest must provide.

The requirement has more than doubled, rising from 6,600 homes to 13,200 over a 23-year period, an uplift from 330 new homes per year to 600.

The council says the new plan will guide how towns and villages can expand while also protecting the district’s countryside, historic buildings, parks and town centres. It will also influence how jobs are created and how the Forest responds to climate change.

Residents are now being asked which of five different development options they prefer. These include expanding existing towns and villages, spreading housing evenly across all settlements, creating one or more entirely new communities, dispersing homes wherever possible, or negotiating with neighbouring councils to build outside the district.

Council officers have suggested the most sustainable way forward is likely to be a mix of expanding existing settlements alongside the creation of a new settlement.

The consultation is open until Thursday, September 11, and the council has arranged a series of drop-in events across the district for those who want to share their views in person.

Events will take place in Corse and Staunton, Cinderford, Lydney, Birdwood, Newent, Tidenham and Coleford between August 12 and August 26.

A spokesperson for the council said it was vital that as many people as possible took part: “This Local Plan will shape how the Forest of Dean develops for the next two decades, and it will affect everyone, from young families to older residents.”