A FOREST of Dean councillor says the ‘overwhelming’ response of residents to proposals to build hundreds of new homes highlights the urgent need for a new town bypass.

Cllr Nick Evans (Tidenham, Con), has campaigned for a Chepstow bypass since 2018.

He said the message from residents in Sedbury, Tutshill and Beachley about the Local Plan was clear, and it needed re-writing, following changes brought in by the Labour Government.

Fifty nine objections and a further 51 observations to development in the most southern ward of the district were raised by residents, with many comments focused on traffic congestion and the lack of services in the area.

Cllr Evans said: “There was an overwhelming response to this latest consultation, as there has been to all the others about this local plan and its proposal to build a new village at Beachley.

“The message from local people is clear that with our roads and services as they currently stand, our area cannot cope with the developments that are proposed. Maps, statistics and reports don’t provide the lived experience, that’s why consultation is so important.

“People who live and work in this area are the ones who really know what it’s like to have to deal with these ongoing problems on a daily basis and now is the time to listen to them.”

Cllr Evans added: “Unfortunately, the draft response that people will just be encouraged not to use their cars, and will need to work from home more, is condescending and just doesn’t match with the reality of people’s lives.

“The working from home revolution over the last few years has made a change to traffic around Chepstow, just a bad one. It’s now completely impossible to predict when there will be traffic congestion, and when an accident occurs, the whole area still becomes gridlocked.

“Without a Forest Gateway road to support this development, the lives of all these new residents, and those that are there already, will simply be made a misery.”

Following new rules set out by the Labour government within weeks of the 2024 General Election, the Forest of Dean District Council now needs to find space for an additional 5,400 homes, and planners have to explore ways to meet the new target.

Cllr Evans said: “With the government sending the District’s plan back to the drawing board, there is an ideal opportunity to finally recognise that this development simply cannot go ahead without a new road being built to support it.

“A great deal of preparation has already been done, and rather than tell people that they cannot use their cars, there is a real chance here to deliver a plan that will actually work, rather than storing up problems for future generations.”

On April 17, the District Council voted to begin to review the current agreed Local Plan Strategy and explore alternative strategic options for Local Plan preparation, which will be presented to Members at a later date for consideration.