PLANS for a new housing estate on the edge of Lydney have been approved.

Half of the 59 homes on the 2.6 hectare plot off Highfield Road between the existing Abbots Gate estate and the junction of the A48 would be “affordable”, the Forest Council’s development management committee heard.

Alistair Russell, of applicants Stonebound, said it was “a landscape-led scheme for 59 dwellings that directly responds to the district's climate, ecological, and housing priorities.”

The development would provide 10 homes for social rent and 19 for shared ownership.

Objections to the scheme were made on several grounds including putting more pressure on local infrastructure and the existing speed limit is too high.

Ward councillor Andrew McDermid (Green, Lydney East) said: “We've got the progressive concretisation of Lydney eastwards, and so the last remnants of kind of a rural idyll are disappearing for those people.”

It is proposed to reduce the speed limit along that section of Highfield Road from 60mph to 40mph.

Councillors agreed by nine votes to one to accept the recommendation that officers be given delegated authority to grant permission.

A “note” will be attached to the permission stating that councillors would prefer to see a 30mph limit on Highfield Road.

Mr Russell told the committee:“Lydney is the district's primary and most sustainable settlement.

“There are over 1,600 people, households, on your housing register with families facing waits of three to four years.

Cllr John Francis (Ind, Longhope and Huntley) said the proportion of affordable housing called into question claims that it was not viable on other sites.

He said: “We've all sat here before on sites where they say we can't even give you 15 or 20 per cent.

“It begs the question, are we not benchmarking our viability exercises wrongly?