COUNCILLORS say plans to build thousands of homes across the Forest are “complete madness” because the infrastructure needed to support them is missing.

The district council cabinet approved its revised draft Local Plan for consultation this month, which includes proposals to build the majority of 7,440 new homes in Lydney, Newent and Beachley.

The Conservative group at the council say these proposals would see Lydney’s population increase by a “staggering” 45 per cent in 20 years.

New group leader Cllr Harry Ives (Lydney North) says not having a “clear plan” for infrastructure will put “immense pressure on local healthcare, education, employment and leisure facilities.”

But council leader Tim Gwilliam said he has “great faith” in the Forest to attract the investment necessary for the plan, and that it is “so dissappointing” that Cllr Ives would rather “play score points” than promote the district.

Cllr Ives said of the draft plan this week: “It’s complete madness and residents deserve better.

“Our District needs a clear, credible plan for infrastructure with proportionate development across all of our towns and villages”.

The draft suggests Lydney will get more than 1,300 new homes by the year 2041, while Newent and Beachley are earmarked for 600 houses each.

Cinderford and Coleford are expected to grow by an extra 100 homes each.

Cllr Gwilliam said last week that the plan was “not just about plonking some houses somewhere”, and that the council wants to examine the economic, social and environmental priorities of the Forest through consultation.

Lydney councillor and Gloucestershire County Council Chairman Alan Preest commented: “Infrastructure and complete engagement with the existing communities have got to be the defining factors before any further large scale development is permitted.

“FoDDC admit that we haven’t been as proactive as perhaps we could be in the distribution of Section 106 monies (Developer Contributions to offset New-Build) that we hold. This needs to change”.

Responding to the Conservative group’s concerns, Cllr Gwilliam told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I have great faith in both Lydney and the Forest of Dean in attracting business investment to deliver what’s needed to make the plan work.

“If we can’t, we will have to look again in the same way that the previous consultation told us to look at an alternative strategy.

“Some of the Conservative members have contacted me offering support and indeed one was on my cross-party support group and didn’t make any objections known to me and in fact seemed very supportive for which I am thankful.

“However, am I surprised that a group leader who spoke against us putting a levelling up fund bid in, spoke against our levelling up bid, spoke against numerous investments aimed at improving councils finances, spoke against us buying Five Acres for one pound, spoke against our budget, spoke against us setting up business start-up grants and spoke against us putting further money into the climate emergency response and the biosphere reserve, has now spoken against the local plan strategy?

“Not at all. I’m just surprised that not many months ago they were so keen to join the cabinet but it’s more than that.

“It’s so disappointing that rather than promote the district, the town of Lydney and just make the effort, the new Conservative leader would rather play score points and begin the campaign for next May’s election so early and worse still use such an important issue for the district as the local plan to play politics with.

“This type of negative, “can’t do”, tribal and disingenuous politics laced with the stench of personal ambition has let this district down for years, stopped us getting investment and worse still left us at the mercy of development companies with deep pockets for legal challenges.

“The rest of council, the cabinet and its officers in the meantime will be doing its best to deliver for both Lydney and the rest of the Forest of Dean.”

A final decision on the plan will be made in 2023.