Villagers turned out in force last night to call on council chiefs to drop “ludicrous” plans to build 3,500 homes off the A417 in Gloucestershire.

Residents packed Redmarley Village Hall to discuss the proposed blueprint for development in the Forest of Dean which could see a new town built at Glynchbrook near the villages of Redmarley D’Abitot, Lowbands, and Pendock.

The Government has set the Forest of Dean District Council a target of building 13,000 new homes by 2045.

And the authority is proposing two new settlements as part of their plans to meet that target.

United Against Glynchbrook, a group set up by residents to campaign against the proposals, say the new town would lead to profound heritage, landscape and ecological loss including the abolishment of prime farm land.

They believe the proposed new settlement, close to the Ledbury junction of the M50 would cause irreparable damage to the local area and the Forest district as a whole.

Villagers say grave concerns were expressed at the meeting over the lack of infrastructure and near total reliance on vehicular travel to and fro the site.

People were listening in the corridors, and outside in the car park as attendance greatly exceeded village hall capacity.

Villagers say there were more than 200 residents at the meeting with parish, district and county councillors, who all put aside any political differences to speak as one, united against what they see as a “ludicrous” decision.

Phil Waring, a Lowbands resident, said: “Everyone here recognises the need for new homes and we applaud the council for doing everything it can to meet its housing targets.

“But delivering high quality new homes can’t become a box-ticking exercise. You can’t build homes on a floodplain, in the middle of nowhere, and say you’ve solved the housing problem.

“Nor can you build a new town miles from where people go to work, school and to the doctors, without access to a train line. Anybody sensible would agree that these points are obvious.

“Glynchbrook suffers from all of those problems. We know that because we live here. But the council’s own report shows that they know it too.

“We know there are lots of places in the Forest of Dean where truly sustainable developments are possible. We ask the council to consider those and deliver new homes that really work for the people that need them.”

Residents believe there was a lack of adequate democratic scrutiny of the plan before the local plan was drafted and the recent vote the council took to consult on the local could not be seen as adequately informed.

Concerns were also raised during the meeting about the inability of roads in his ward to cope with the sort of numbers of increased road travel envisaged.

Residents have been encouraged to take part in the upcoming local plan consultation which begins on February 4, 2026.

Council leader Adrian Birch (G, Tidenham) said after the district council decision to go out to consultation that they are “inviting everyone to share their views on the draft local plan and help shape the future of the Forest of Dean”.

“As a council, we have written to government to challenge the housing target set for us, however this has not been changed,” he said.

“We therefore need to put forward a local plan that gives greater control over where and how new development happens.

“Without an approved plan, decisions would be driven by national policy alone and largely led by developers, leaving us with little influence over where growth takes place.

“With a plan in place, we can ensure proposals meet local priorities, including assessing applications by appearance, layout, density and environmental performance so that new developments work for our communities.

“It is essential that we hear from as many people as possible. This consultation is a real opportunity for residents to shape the issues that matter most to them and I would encourage everyone to take part and share their thoughts.”

The council also said this week that they are inviting landowners to come forward with sites they believe could have potential for future development.

Those who wish to put forward sites to be considered in this year’s review can download a form from the council’s website to do so.

Residents wishing to comment on the local plan can do so by email [email protected] or writing to the council to the Forest of Dean District Council to provide their views to Forest of Dean District Council FAO Local Plans Team, High Street, Coleford, GL16 8HG.

If writing, or emailing, residents are asked to use the heading ‘Local Plan Consultation Response’.

The consultation is open from February 4 until March 18, 2026.