Cheltenham Council Leader Criticises “Totally Unrealistic” Housing Targets

Cheltenham Housing Targets Deemed “Totally Unrealistic” by Council Leader

Cheltenham Borough Council leader Rowena Hay has criticised the Government’s housing targets for the town as “unrealistic.” The council is working in partnership with Tewkesbury Borough Council and Gloucester City Council on a new strategic local plan, which aims to build over 43,000 homes across the three areas.

Details

However, Hay stated that the “headline housing numbers” set by the Government are simply not feasible for Cheltenham. The town is required to build 16,420 homes over the next 20 years, a target that Hay described as “totally unrealistic.”

“It’s not that we don’t want to build houses, because we do. But we believe the number and quantity and where they go should remain and be decided by local rather than a dicktat of how many because they are totally unrealistic,” Hay said.

Cheltenham’s Liberal Democrat MP, Max Wilkinson, agreed with Hay’s assessment, stating that the town is limited in its ability to deliver on the housing targets due to its built-up boundaries. Wilkinson, however, sees the next version of the local plan as an opportunity for “sustainable development and regeneration” in Cheltenham’s town centre.

What You Need to Know

– Cheltenham, Tewkesbury, and Gloucester councils are working together on a new strategic local plan to build over 43,000 homes in the region.
– Cheltenham Borough Council leader Rowena Hay has criticised the Government’s housing target of 16,420 homes for Cheltenham as “totally unrealistic.”
– Cheltenham’s Liberal Democrat MP, Max Wilkinson, supports Hay’s assessment and sees the next local plan as an opportunity for sustainable development and regeneration in the town centre.

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