Council sets out options to tackle huge government housing targets ahead of public consultation

Summary – Key Points at a Glance

• The Labour Government has set a national target to build 1.5 million new homes by 2029, placing major pressure on councils across England to find land for development.
• As a result, Cotswold District Council (CDC) must now plan for 1,036 new homes a year, up from 420, to meet these increased national targets.
• Because CDC can’t currently show a five-year housing land supply, it risks losing control to speculative development – unplanned schemes without proper infrastructure.
• To regain control, CDC must create a new Local Plan that meets these Government targets.
• The sites in the draft plan come from landowners and developers who submitted land through the Council’s Call for Sites process. CDC has assessed these and included those that could not be ruled out on strong planning grounds.
• The draft Local Plan proposes allocating land to the south-west of Kemble, near Top Farm and the solar farm, for around 590 homes during the plan period, within a wider strategic site that has an indicative long-term capacity of up to 1,070 homes.
• This would more than double the size of Kemble – making it one of the largest changes ever proposed for the village.
• The current Regulation 18 consultation is your chance to shape what happens: design, infrastructure, and how the growth fits the village – view the annoucement here, view the detail consultation document here, feedback can be submitted from early Novemeber for 6 weeks – have your say here.
• There will be another public consultation next year (Regulation 19) before any decisions are finalised.
• The Cotswold Liberal Democrats have launched a petition calling for fairer housing targets – sign here.

Introduction – Why is this happening, and what’s proposed for Kemble?

The Labour Government has set a new national goal to build 1.5 million homes by 2029. Every council in England has been given a much higher annual housing target to help meet that figure.

For Cotswold District Council (CDC), the requirement has more than doubled — from about 420 homes a year to 1,036. Because the district can no longer show a five-year supply of housing land (a national planning requirement), it risks losing control to speculative development — unplanned schemes brought forward by developers, often without the right infrastructure.

To regain control, CDC is preparing a new Local Plan that meets the Government’s target and decides where new homes, jobs, and infrastructure should go. This will allow the Council and local communities to influence design, location, and infrastructure, rather than leaving decisions to appeal inspectors and developers.

As part of this process, CDC invited landowners and developers to submit sites through its “Call for Sites”. These submissions form the basis of the draft Local Plan, now out for consultation.

For Kemble, the draft plan proposes a major strategic extension of around 590 new homes to the south-west of the village, on land near Top Farm and the solar farm, beyond the railway line. This proposal originates from a local landowner’s submission and would more than double the size of the village.

The proposal is still at an early consultation stage (Regulation 18). The location shown is only indicative — no detailed layouts, designs, or infrastructure plans have been set. The consultation gives residents the chance to influence how any development might look, function, and connect to the village if it proceeds.

What Happens Next

The Local Plan process takes several years, and there are still many stages to go before any building could start. Here’s what happens from this point onward:

1) Regulation 18 Consultation (Now)

The current stage is the “Issues and Options” or “Draft Plan” consultation. This is the first formal opportunity for residents and organisations to comment on the scale of housing, proposed locations, and early development principles.
Your feedback now helps decide which sites stay in or are ruled out and what priorities should guide the next version of the plan.

2) Regulation 19 (Pre-Submission Draft) – Expected 2026

CDC will prepare a more detailed draft plan showing specific site boundaries, housing numbers, and planning policies. This will be the final version for consultation before it is sent to the Government.
Residents and parish councils will again be able to comment formally on whether the plan is sound, realistic, and evidence-based.

3) Submission to the Government and Examination – 2027

The plan will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate, where an independent Planning Inspector will test whether it meets national policy and whether the evidence justifies the sites and housing numbers.
Public hearings will be held where CDC, developers, and local representatives can make their case.

4) Inspector’s Report and Modifications – Mid/Late 2027

The Inspector may recommend changes (for example, altering site boundaries or adding infrastructure requirements). CDC can then make those modifications and move to adopt the plan.

5) Adoption of the New Local Plan – Late 2027

Once adopted, the plan becomes the statutory framework for deciding all planning applications in the district. From that point on, decisions must follow the policies and allocations in the plan.

6) Developer Planning Applications

Landowners and developers will then need to submit detailed planning applications for any allocated sites. These must include:

• • Full layouts, road and drainage designs, and landscaping;
  • Assessments of traffic, ecology, flooding, and heritage impacts;
  • Plans for infrastructure (roads, schools, utilities, green spaces, etc.);
  • Financial contributions through Section 106 agreements and the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL).

Each application will go through public consultation, allowing residents to comment before CDC decides whether to approve it.

8) Construction Phase

Large developments like the proposed 590 homes at Kemble are built in phases, typically 20–50 homes per year per developer. This means full build-out could take 10–20 years, depending on market demand, infrastructure delivery, and planning conditions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why are so many homes proposed for Kemble?
Because a local landowner put this site forward through the Council’s Call for Sites, and under the Government’s much higher housing targets, CDC must test almost all available land. Kemble is one of the few areas outside the protected Cotswolds National Landscape and has a mainline station, making it more suitable for growth under national policy. In effect, CDC hasn’t chosen this site — it’s included because of Government requirements, limited alternatives, and the need to show enough land for housing.

Does this mean new houses are already approved?
No. The Local Plan sets the framework – individual planning applications will follow later, the site is approved.

Why are we being told to plan for more homes?
The targets come from Government. CDC must plan for them even if it disagrees.

Can CDC refuse to include certain land?
Only if there are strong planning reasons. Otherwise, a Planning Inspector could add the sites back in.

Are the maps final?
No. At this stage they are for discussion – boundaries and numbers will be refined later.

What happens if we don’t have a Local Plan?
Developers could bring speculative applications with weaker design standards and less infrastructure.

What is CIL?
The Community Infrastructure Levy – a contribution developers pay to help fund local facilities like schools, roads, and open spaces.

Does the new Local Plan also update planning policies as well as development areas?
Yes. The Local Plan review is updating both the planning policies (which guide how decisions are made) and the development areas (the locations where new homes and jobs may go). There was a separate consultation on draft policy changes last year, and both the policies and development areas will come together in a single draft plan for the next public consultation – the Regulation 19 consultation – expected next year.

Is this about the Kemble & Ewen Parish or the Kemble Ward?
This proposal specifically affects the Kemble & Ewen Parish – and particularly the village of Kemble itself. While the Kemble Ward covers a wider area, the proposal in the draft Local Plan relate to land within the parish boundary.

What is a five-year housing land supply?
Every council must be able to show that it has enough land identified to deliver at least five years’ worth of new homes based on Government housing targets.If the Council can’t show this, it loses much of its control — developers can submit speculative planning applications on unallocated sites, and national policy makes these much harder to refuse, even if they don’t fit the Local Plan. Having a five-year land supply is what helps the Council stay in control of where and how new homes are built.

If additional developments get planning permission under speculative development, does that count towards the housing target?
Yes. Any new homes granted planning permission – whether through the Local Plan or speculative development – do count towards the district’s overall housing target. However, speculative developments are much harder to plan properly and often lack the coordinated infrastructure that comes from being part of an agreed Local Plan.

Why not meet the housing target by building a new town or large village instead?
That option has been considered, but it depends on landowners offering large, suitable sites. In the Cotswolds, no landowners have proposed a single site big enough to accommodate a new town or large village that woild cover all the requirements. Because the Council can only assess land that has been formally submitted through the Call for Sites, it must instead plan for housing across multiple smaller locations. This is why several villages, including Kemble, are being considered for growth rather than one new settlement.

Will there be public events as part of the consultation?
Yes. CDC plans to hold public drop-in sessions and exhibitions during the six-week consultation period, starting in early November. These will take place across the district, giving residents the chance to view maps, speak to officers, and ask questions. The dates and venues will be announced shortly on the Council’s website.

What is the purpose of this consultation?
This consultation is about testing options and gathering views – not final decisions. The feedback received will help CDC decide which sites and approaches to carry forward into the next version of the Local Plan (Regulation 19), which will be published in 2026.

How will infrastructure be planned and delivered?
Alongside the Local Plan, CDC is updating its Infrastructure Delivery Plan. This identifies the roads, schools, healthcare, drainage, and utilities needed to support new development. At the planning stage, developers will be required to contribute to or deliver these improvements through Section 106 agreements and the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL).

What happens if not enough sites are found to meet the housing target?
If CDC cannot identify enough suitable land, it must show that it has:

• Worked with landowners and developers to bring sites forward; and

• Negotiated with neighbouring councils to share housing numbers.
  Only if these steps fail might the Government reconsider the district’s housing requirement.

Will all the proposed sites definitely be developed?
No. These are potential options, not confirmed allocations. Some sites may be ruled out after technical assessment, evidence gathering, or public feedback. Others might be added later if new land comes forward or existing sites prove unsuitable.

How will the Council decide which sites go forward?
Each site is assessed using detailed planning evidence, including access, landscape impact, flooding, heritage, and infrastructure capacity. CDC uses a standard assessment framework to ensure decisions are fair and based on planning evidence rather than local politics or landowner pressure.

Can residents influence the final plan?
Absolutely. This is the most important opportunity to have your say. Clear, evidence-based feedback now helps CDC demonstrate why certain sites should or shouldn’t go forward — which can be crucial when the plan is reviewed by the Government’s Planning Inspector later on.

What is the difference between the 590 homes in the Local Plan period and the wider 1,070-home site capacity?

The draft Local Plan proposes around 590 homes at Kemble during the 2025–2043 plan period. This is the number the Council expects could realistically be built by 2043, based on delivery rates, infrastructure lead-in times, and how quickly a new development of this scale can come forward.

However, national planning rules now require strategic sites to be planned with a 30-year vision. For Kemble, that means looking beyond 2043 and identifying the full long-term capacity of the site, which is estimated at up to 1,070 homes. This larger figure isn’t for delivery now. It simply shows the total amount of housing the land could accommodate over several decades.

Why are there two numbers?

• 590 homes – the realistic amount the Council believes could be built within the 2025–2043 Local Plan period.

• 1,070 homes – the full capacity of the site over a 30-year strategic timeline, as required by the updated National Planning Policy Framework.

Both numbers must be shown, but only the 590 counts towards the Council’s housing target for this plan period.

How are these numbers calculated?

• The 590 is based on typical delivery rates for large sites, infrastructure requirements (roads, drainage, utilities, schools, etc.), and the time it takes for planning, design, and early build phases to begin.

• The 1,070 is based on long-term masterplanning principles such as land availability, density assumptions, environmental constraints, and infrastructure capacity once the site is fully built out over several decades.

What does this mean for infrastructure planning?

Even though only 590 homes are expected by 2043, the Council has to plan infrastructure for the whole 1,070-home site so that later phases can slot in without repeating or retrofitting major works. That means early planning for:

• road access and junction improvements,

• utilities upgrades (electricity, water, wastewater),

• school and health-care capacity,

• drainage and flood mitigation,

• walking, cycling and bus connections,

• green and blue infrastructure (open spaces, biodiversity buffers, woodland, etc.).

In practice, this usually means front-loading some infrastructure to support the eventual full build-out, even if the homes come forward in phases.

Background

Call for Sites

Where landowners and developers put forward land they believe might be suitable for development. This process is ongoing, and CDC continues to assess new submissions.

So far, the amount of land submitted does not meet the full housing target. That means the Council must currently test every site offered, unless there are strong planning reasons to rule it out. Even if CDC rejects a site now, the landowner or developer can challenge that decision when the plan is examined by a national Planning Inspector. The Inspector can require sites to be added back in unless CDC can show clear evidence that they are unsuitable.

This is why it’s so important that residents and parish councils provide clear, evidence-based feedback now.

How infrastructure is considered and funded

Infrastructure is a central part of both the Local Plan process and the later detailed planning applications. When large developments such as Kemble’s proposed extension are considered, the Council and other agencies assess what new or improved infrastructure will be needed. This includes roads and junctions, schools, public transport, drainage, flood defences, utilities, health facilities, and open spaces.

At the planning application stage, developers are normally required to enter into Section 106 (S106) agreements – legal obligations to build or contribute financially to specific infrastructure that is directly related to the development. For Kemble, this could include contributions to improvements at the A429 junction, road safety measures around the village, school expansion, or enhanced drainage systems.

Alongside S106, developers also pay the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). CIL is a financial contribution based on the number and size of new homes. It helps fund wider infrastructure projects across the district. A development of Kemble’s scale could generate several millions of pounds in CIL payments over time. Importantly, 25% of this money goes directly to the Parish Council because Kemble has a Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP). The Parish can use these funds for community priorities such as improving play areas, enhancing green spaces, supporting local transport, or upgrading village facilities. These contributions are usually paid in phases as the new homes are built.

Note: This page has been written and published by Cllr Mike McKeown in my capacity as Ward Councillor for Kemble, to help residents understand the Local Plan process and what it means for our community.
It is not official Cotswold District Council communication and does not represent the formal views or statements of the Council.