A 185-home estate proposed for land off the A48 would make traffic problems between Lydney and Chepstow even worse, say villagers opposing the plan. 

Gladman Developments is proposing the new houses at Tutshill between the A48 and the Lydney-Chepstow railway line. 

More than 50 residents attended a meeting of Tidenham parish council on Wednesday, October 23 to voice their opposition to the plan. 

There was also a call for the impact on the village of two new estates to be assessed at the meeting of the parish council’s planning and highways committee. 

In a consultation booklet sent to some 400 homes, the developers say: “We believe that a development should provide an opportunity to improve the range and quality of services available in Tutshill.” 

Greg Lance-Watkins, of Stroat, said: “We cannot sustain what currently travels up and down the A48, as anyone who is trying to get to Chepstow from this side, particularly in the morning rush hour and school run, is well aware. 

 “The planners are telling us the new homes they are building will create more jobs, more traffic on the retail side of business, more facilities.  

“We will not get more jobs out of it, we will merely get more commuters as a dormitory area, people who do not shop in the area (and) have no affinity with the area. There aren’t the schools, the doctors, the dentists, we do not have the space.” 

Matthew Lawson said he was also worried about the lack of jobs locally for people living on the proposed development. 

He said: “The people will commute, they will not work locally. It’s a catastrophe what we are doing, not just here, but nationally. We need to build houses where the jobs are.” 

Jacqui Eisenhofer said: “My main concerns are the volume of traffic, the level of houses and I don’t think Manor Chase will stop at the size it is and the Wyedean development is not going to stop at the size it is.” 

Angela Davidson asked: “Has any real assessment been done on the true impact of the recent developments?  

“We should understand what the developers told us before they developed those houses so we can see when they present their plans in future.” 

Cllr John Powell said the development would be outside the established settlement boundary of the parish. 

He said: “The line is drawn tightly around the settlement boundary – a recen application for Beachley was rejected because it was outside the boundary and in the open countryside and I think we will be using that.” 

Forest councillor Helen Molyneux (Ind, Tidenham) said she would speak against the proposal when it comes before the Forest Council’s planning committee. 

She added: “We need more houses but we need them in the right places and at the right price. 

“When it comes before the planning committee I will speak against it and say it is not needed.” 

Parish councillors said they would send an objection to the proposal to the Forest Council.