FOR many years Cotswold District Council (CDC) planning policy has targeted Cirencester to provide more and more new homes – in 2001-11 more than 65 per cent of all new Cotswold homes were built in the town, or to be more precise, on the outskirts.

For the 2011-31 Local Plan CDC proposes that Cirencester takes another 3,387 new homes out of a Cotswold total of 7,726.

Cirencester has 25 per cent of the Cotswold population, so the CDC policy means many other places are continuing to avoid their share of the Cotswold obligation to provide new homes.

However, almost unique in the Cotswolds, Cirencester has a dual carriageway bypass where car speeds of up to 70mph are common, often resulting in hazardous driving conditions at the roundabouts.

Almost all these new houses have been built outside the bypass.

They are too far from the town centre for many to walk, yet they have poor bus services (except the No.51 route) and have very limited, if any, facilities.

Since they all live miles from Cirencester, this does not affect the six members of the CDC Cabinet who approved the local plan.

Location, location, location the estate agents tell us. So it is hardly surprising that developers have gained planning permission to build on parcels of land at many Cotswold towns and villages, where residents can enjoy a higher quality of life.

These new homes, including some near the centre of Cirencester, are within comfortable walking distance of existing facilities including shops, primary schools, village halls, doctors surgeries, playgroups, pubs, churches, bus services and local clubs.

The new outer suburbs of Cirencester have precious few of these amenities – such amenities were promised by CDC and developers, but they never delivered.

But CDC policy is to discourage any building in most villages, particularly if there is no shop.

Such villages include Birdlip, Sapperton, North Cerney, Chedworth and Ampney Crucis. All have small primary schools which will close if there are insufficient pupils to justify their existence, and these villages all have other facilities and activities, far more than the distant suburbs of Cirencester. Recently local shops have been opened at Poulton and Blockley. Residents who choose to live in villages also have the facility of online shopping and home deliveries.

The CDC Local Plan should respect the aspirations of those who wish to live in new homes elsewhere, other than their Chesterton Strategic Site.

Considering the wonderful promises made for the strategic site we are reminded of the old adage “if it sounds too good to be true – then it probably is.”

JOHN NICHOLAS

Cirencester