Have your say on the future of the Cotswold District: Local Plan

Cotswold District Council is urging residents, businesses, community groups, and everyone who cares about the future to get involved and help influence the direction of the district as it launches a major Local Plan consultation after the Government more than doubled its housing target. 

Running from 14 November 2025 to 2 January 2026, the consultation sets out high-level proposals - including the Council’s preferred option - for the development of more than 18,500 new homes across the district by 2043.  

The updated Local Plan will serve as a blueprint for where new homes, jobs, services and supporting facilities should be located across the district. Crucially, it will help ensure that new housing is planned in a way that reflects local priorities and brings with it the required infrastructure. 

The easiest way for residents to make sure they have their say is via the Local Plan online consultation site your.cotswold.gov.uk. There will also be a series of events across the district during November and December, where people can speak to planning officers and ask questions.

The options have been drawn up in response to the government more than doubling the number of homes the district must plan for. This change means that the housing policies in the current Local Plan are now out of date, leaving the area vulnerable to piece-meal housing development, without infrastructure and in locations that might not be suitable. 

Residents can now share their views on the options the Council has developed. Over a series of questions, they’ll be asked whether they support the Council’s preferred option for new development and what types of homes could be built to meet housing targets. The consultation also covers issues such as development in unsuitable areas and whether housing density should increase to achieve targets, giving people a vital opportunity to influence how the district grows in the coming years. 

The consultation also looks beyond 2043, offering a longer-term view of future development for locations that, indicatively, could accommodate more new homes. This broader perspective will help identify and secure the infrastructure needed to support that growth, including roads, schools, healthcare facilities and other essential services. 

The Local plan is expected to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate towards the end of 2026 and adopted by the Council in 2027.  

Council Leader, Cllr Mike Evemy said: “This Government has increased our housing target by more than 100 per cent – this is totally unreasonable and leaves us with no choice but to update our Local Plan. In doing so, we must explore every option for meeting the target we’ve been set. This is immensely challenging when we’re unable to build new homes at scale on over 80% of land in the district as it is protected national landscape. But if we don’t act now, we risk losing control over where and how development happens for years to come. 

“My message to residents is: have your say! At this stage, these are simply options setting out estimates for numbers of homes and where they could go, based on what we know so far. We welcome all views on these options, but in particular those which focus on planning issues: quality of life, environment, highways, housing, and community needs. Local knowledge and views will help us shape our new plan.”