Where an extra 5,400 homes will be built in Gloucestershire could be decided with the help of artificial intelligence as the idea of a new garden town becomes a real possibility again.

The Forest of Dean District Council has agreed to have a re-think over where new homes will be built as part of their blueprint for development.

Changes to the area’s local housing need calculated by the the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has seen the Forest get an uplift of 82 per cent of the homes that need to build in the area over the next 16 years.

The council’s draft local plan was originally focusing most of the 6,600 homes they neeed to build by 2041 in Lydney, Beachley and Newent.

The draft plan allows for some 1,300 homes in the Severnside town, 600 at Beachley Barracks and 600 at a new strategic site south east of Newent.

Some 320 new homes would be allocated in Cinderford and Coleford could get 368 homes.

However, the need to find sites for an extra 5,400 properties means previous ideas of creating a new garden town between the A40 and A48 near Churcham or a new settlement off junction 2 of the M50 near Redmarley could come forward.

Insiders now believe a new garden town is a real possibility. Councillor John Francis (I, Huntley and Longhope), who was involved in the previous campaign against the garden town in Churcham, asked at the full council meeting how the houses would be best placed to benefit local communities and and in input from councillors was considered.

Council leader Adrian Birch (G, Tidenham) said there was a need to find new areas for houses and the council would use computer software to allow members to consider where that housing could be located.

“We are trialing some AI support on this which will see if it provides the information we need,” he said.

“We are doing a separate analysis on results using AI and we are going to use it against information we already know to see if that information can be relied upon.”

Councillor Nick Evans (C, Tidenham) said he was troubled by the assertion that much of the draft plan would not change in light of objections to the level of housing planned for his area and questioned the use of AI

“Are we checking the AI and making sure it correlates with the information we already know,” he said.

“Who’s making the final decision based on that, is it going to be a computer or a planning officer.”

Cllr Birch said a member of staff would be making the decision and officers would review all of the comments being made with an AI company engaged to assess the public responses received to the local plan consultation which took place in the summer.

“We will then be comparing our results with their results,” he said. “As that pilot scheme is underway, if we feel that isn’t going to serve us well we will need to consider it again.

“What we do want to do is try to speed this up. We need to get this to meet the timetable we’ve set ourselves which is a challenge. If we can trust the AI to get it right then we will look at whether that is a feasible option.”

He said the officers would “assess that against their own common sensical approach”. If there are any doubts about it, the use of AI would be reviewed.

Cllr Julia Gooch (Progressive Independents, Newent and Taynton) asked council leaders if they would ensure her town “does not become more of a commuter town than it already is”.

She asked if former industrial sites elsewhere in the Forest would be considered for new housing rather than the fields around Newent.

Cllr Birch said the whole council would be deciding and councillors will have a say on what is happening in their own patches.

Property and projects cabinet member Sid Phelps (G, Lydbrook), who seconded the proposal, said: “This is a game when you’re never going to please everybody.

“We’ve got to try and work our way through it to get the best for our communities, the environment and the economy.”

Council voted unanimously to review its local plan and explore alternative strategic options.