Councillors won't back new Cirencester village (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Councillors won't back new Cirencester village

COUNCILLORS are refusing to support a flagship scheme, which will see a new village created on the outskirts of Cirencester.

And local councillor John Burgess says that until the town's Beeches estate is included in the overall master plan, it shouldn't be adopted.

Architects have drawn up a detailed design code for the Kingshill South area and the project will be seen as one of the Government's pilot guideline projects for future developments elsewhere in the UK.

But Cotswold District councillors last week slated the scheme, claiming the housing density is too great and there aren't enough community facilities included the plans.

And Cllr Burgess said the neighbouring Beeches estate, which already has a lack of facilities and poor infrastructure, should be included in any future plans.

He said: "The plan is a lot of houses squeezed into one place.

"The Beeches and Kingshill will be the largest single residential area in the whole Cotswold district.

"All there is there at the moment is a little Post Office/shop with a question mark hanging over it and a pub.

"This is a prime example of the public saying they want one thing and then they're ignored.

"If we'd adopted the code it would have come back to haunt us."

Residents had already been asked to play more of a hands-on role than usual by telling developers exactly how they want the new community to look.

But Cllr Burgess says many of the points raised at a public meeting have been passed over and he also raised concerns about the new village being used as a rat run for through traffic.

Last month, planning officers told cabinet member Cllr Burgess, who represents Beeches ward, that he had jumped the gun and that community facilities would eventually be included in the overall master plan.

And senior planning officer Iona Cameron this week said concerns raised by councillors and members of the public over the design code would be addressed.

She said: "When we start the master plan process the design code will be worked in once we've resolved some of the major issues.

"I think we would be keen to continue to work with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and take it back out into the community."

* Subject to the results of the Local Plan Inquiry, the Kingshill South development will be the latest in a series of schemes in the area north of the old A417.

Cirencester Town Football Club built its new Corinium Stadium and Premiership-standard sports arena in Kingshill Lane.

While Cirencester Town Council is developing a neighbouring sports complex, which includes football pitches, changing facilities and will eventually incorporate a skate park.

The Kingshill South site begins at the A417 and is situated between the Corinium Stadium plot and North Home Road.

The main access to the new village will be from the existing Tesco roundabout at Kingsmeadow.