MORE affordable housing was delivered in Lydney as consultation over the Forest’s new Local Plan came to a close last week.

The new homes have been made available at the Severn Meadows development on Highfield Hill, including 13 for affordable rent and three for shared ownership.

Consultation over the Forest Council’s second preffered option for its Local Plan, which dictates where thousands of new homes will be built across the Forest up to 2041, ended on Friday (October 7).

The plan would see the new homes delivered in Lydney, Newent, Sedbury, Coleford and Cinderford, after the council’s first preffered option - a new 4,000-home settlement near Churcham - was parked following a backlash.

“As we have been saying with the local plan proposals over the last couple of months, the number of homes that have to be built in the Forest of Dean district comes from the UK Government,” said cabinet member for housing, Cllr Claire Vaughan.

“We aren’t able to change that, but we can work with partners to ensure that new developments meet the needs of local residents and that they have a suitable number of affordable homes for rent and shared ownership homes on them.

”Severn Meadows in Lydney is a good example of this with a third of the homes set to be available for affordable rent or shared ownership by the time the development is completed next year.”

The new homes range from one-beds flats to four-bed family housing.