THE vast majority of signatories who opposed the Forest Council’s plans to build a new settlement near Churcham do not actually live in Gloucestershire, it has emerged.

People from as far away as India were among the thousands who signed a petition against plans to build a new 4,000-home village between the A48 and A40, the district council revealed last week.

The plan was the council’s first preferred option to build the thousands of new homes allocated to the Forest by the Government in the development of the district’s new local plan.

But that option was shelved last May following public consultation and a petition signed by more than 6,000 being presented to the council.

The council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that of the 6,155 who signed the petition, 4,000 provided a UK address, of which 1,260 were from Gloucestershire, and the remaining 2,155 signatories appeared to come from abroad or an unknown source.

The petition was by far the largest single representation received by the council during the consultation.

The council is currently consulting on its second preferred option, which would see 1,300 new homes built in Lydney, 600 each in Newent and Beachley and 100 each in Coleford and Cinderford by 2041.

That option has also proved controversial, with residents and councillors arguing that the relevant infrastructure to support the growth of those communities needs to come first.

At a council meeting to debate the local plan in July, Councillor Nicky Packer (G, Newnham) told councillors she had been informed that people from India had signed the petition.

Councillor Philip Burford (I, Hartpury & Redmarley) who argued against plans for a garden village said the proposals were not popular.

He said: “We are to consult on a new piece of policy. A second attempt. This time we are looking to make Lydney a gateway to the Forest of Dean […] which is very sensible in my view.

“What we do know is that a new settlement is not popular with the people of the district, the businesses in the district and, in fact, we’ve just been told that people as far afield as India don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Churcham Parish Council organised the petition but chairman John Francis said they did not have any information regarding the signatories’ address due to data protection laws.

He said: “Under GDPR we are not privy to that information.

‘’But as for the petition, we have no control over the signatories and, on the other hand, I’d be surprised if that many came from outside the UK. It seems a hell of a lot.”