A NIMBY nightmare or an inspired vision for a greener Gloucestershire where everyone has a decent home to live in? With housing issues remaining a hot topic nationally and locally, people who live in Gloucestershire are being invited to offer their views, hopes and visions ahead of a plan to add 35,700 new homes in the county.

Looking forward 20 years, the Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury Strategic and Local Plan (SLP) offers a glimpse of what could be with a selection of six development scenarios across the three districts.

Between now and 2044, it's estimated that 13,620 homes will need to be built in Gloucester, while the Borough of Tewkesbury needs 11,140 and some 10,940 units will be created in Cheltenham. To meet those targets, some 600 homes will be built each year in these parts of the county.

As a joint document from Cheltenham and Tewkesbury's borough councils, as well as Gloucester City Council, the SLP's goal is the definition of an overarching planning strategy, with cross-boundary strategic policies covering the whole area, as well as local policies for each of the three local authorities.

To try and help guide views, the plan subdivides into various "engagement themes", such as hearing from young people and climate and nature recovery, while respondents are asked to consider and vote on six preferred scenarios, which range from an urban concentration plan, options for urban concentration (both including and excluding green belt), the creation of new strategic settlements, a rural dispersal plan and a vision based upon sustainable transport.

The plan has an eight-week consultation and will run until March 12th - and feedback already in suggests residents have a breadth of opinion on what is - and isn't - needed.

A Tewkesbury respondent wrote: "You envisage 10,000 new garden communities homes being built in the coming years, yet we already lack local supermarkets and other stores with adequate onsite free parking. Although Tewkesbury boasts an Aldi, many residents choose to travel the Bishops Cleave or Cheltenham to gain access to a broader range of shops."

A spokesperson for Tewkesbury Borough Council said that once the consultation has concluded the feedback provided will be reviewed and used to shape the next stage of the SLP, called 'Preferred Options'.

They added: "Consultation on the Preferred Options is programmed for early 2025 and will include feedback on this draft plan, a preferred strategy, potential site allocations and draft policies."

You can access the consultation to add your views here.