TUTSHILL residents have voiced their growing concerns over a proposal to build nearly 130 houses in the village.

The plans, submitted to Forest of Dean District Council (FDDC) by Cheshire-based Gladman Developments on 18th September, propose to build 126 houses on land off Gloucester Road and Elm Road on a greenfield agricultural site..

If permission for the development is granted, it would see the housing requirements for the entire area for the next 12 years built on a single site.

Residents have voiced fears the plans will increase traffic in the area and "damage the character of the village". Locals are also concerned the increase in population will put too much strain on local schools, healthcare and public transport.

Tutshill resident, Bob Howells, said: "These proposals, if they are given permission, would immediately increase the village population by 10 per cent and put them all on one poorly served site; that is utterly unsustainable and completely against FDDC's own local plan.

"The houses would be built on agricultural land outside the agreed village boundary, and would see more properties built than the area is forecast to need in the next 12 years.

"The district council's own plan said developments like this should be ruled out, so we hope that the council stick to their guns and turn down the application.

"The education, healthcare and traffic systems in the area are already over-stretched and this development would just add to that; it would cause chaos.

"The developers haven't even considered the impact the development would have on nearby Chepstow and the extra pollution it would create on Hardwick Hill, which is already higher than the recommended safety levels."

More than 100 local residents attended a public meeting earlier this year when the plans were first suggested and were universally hostile to the plans.

Some residents are now putting their objections to the plan in

writing to FDDC.

Parish Councillor Lance Allen said: "The views of those who live in the area seem to have been completely ignored.

"When the developers consulted on the plans earlier this year more than 100 people attended a public meeting to make their voices heard and the responses to the consultation on the developer's website are almost all very strong objections.

"This is not about not wanting any development at all. We support the district council's local plan which says that development should be sustainable and in areas set aside for potential development - but these proposals are neither."

This is the second speculative development proposed in the area in the last year, after residents of nearby Sedbury successfully fought a similar proposal by developers Barratts to build 110 homes near Wyedean School.

FDDC's decision to turn down that application has been appealed by Barratts and is expected to be heard soon.

A further public meeting on the proposals is to be held at Tutshill War Memorial Hall this Friday (24th October) at 7pm.