The Local Plan consultation closes at 11.59pm on . 32 days left. Respond now
We are not against new homes
Fairford Community Alliance is not opposed to development or to Fairford growing. Our concern is whether development on the scale currently proposed has been properly justified, and whether the infrastructure required to support it can realistically be delivered.
Evidence first
We believe the evidence should determine how much development Fairford can sustainably accommodate, not the other way around.
That is a deliberately narrow position, and it is the one the planning system itself is supposed to hold. A Local Plan must be justified, effective, and consistent with national policy. Whether this one is, for a town asked to grow by this much, is exactly what the current consultation exists to test.
That means asking serious questions about:
- Transport and trafficWhether the road network, and the routes through the historic centre, can absorb the additional journeys.
- Sewage and water capacityWhether treatment and network capacity will exist when homes are occupied, not just on paper.
- Schools and healthcareWhether places and services are deliverable in step with the housing, with funding identified.
- Infrastructure fundingWho pays, how much, and whether that funding is committed rather than assumed.
- Public transportWhether realistic alternatives to driving can be provided and sustained.
- Landscape and heritageThe setting of a historic town on the edge of the Cotswold National Landscape.
- Cumulative developmentThe combined effect of the strategic site and the schemes already permitted around the town.
- AlternativesWhether a lower level of development in Fairford has been properly considered.
We aim to work constructively alongside Fairford Town Council and neighbouring communities, while remaining an independent residents’ voice. We are non-party-political, and we welcome involvement from anyone who shares our aim of securing the best possible future for Fairford.