COTSWOLD MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown has warned of traffic chaos and potential gridlock if both the Chesterton and Kemble developments go ahead.

 

On Saturday, July 18, Mr Clifton-Brown attended the public exhibition of the proposed redevelopment of Kemble Airfield hosted by Tristan Fitzgerald Associates Consultants.

 

The land has been earmarked as a potential site to house 2,500 homes.

 

However, Mr Clifton-Brown raised concerns that the exhibition lacked detail and failed to answer some simple questions.

 

For example, he said traffic flow studies had not been undertaken to see how the proposed development would affect Tetbury and Cirencester and that the design is not in typical Cotswold vernacular and so may not be suitable for the location.

 

Mr Clifton-Brown said: “Whatever the merits or demerits of the Kemble development, and although Cotswold District Council (CDC) says it is out of time for the local development plan process, I doubt very much whether this line will hold particularly as the government are relaxing the rules on building on brownfield sites.

 

“There must be a real danger that the inspector of the local plan will ask CDC to consider both the Kemble scheme and the Chesterton development.

“If this came about the traffic impact of 5,000 homes on Cirencester and Tetbury would be enormous, causing gridlock at times.

 

“With regard to the Chesterton Scheme, having listened to a vast number of people living in and around Cirencester during the election it is clear that they think that 2,500 houses is too many.

 

“I also believe that we need to begin to think about an outer ring road on the edge of the Chesterton development to take traffic away from the centre of Cirencester which is already heavily congested at peak times.”