Concern over traffic impact of 2,550 proposed homes

Taylor Wimpey UK Ltd wants to develop more than 320 acres of land at Whaddon

Residents and councillors have shared their concerns about the impact plans to build thousands of homes on the outskirts of Gloucester could have on traffic.

Taylor Wimpey UK Ltd has submitted an application to Stroud District Council to build 2,550 homes on a 320-acre site on land in Whaddon.

In March, Gloucester City Council lodged its opposition to the scheme, which also includes a community centre, 150 space transport hub and a primary and secondary school.

Stroud District Council has yet to make a decision on the proposals.

The plans, which include new access points from the A4173 and Naas Lane, have sparked alarm among some residents in nearby Tuffley, who fear St Barnabas roundabout would not be able to cope with the extra traffic.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, hundreds of people are also opposed to the project due to concerns over the impact it would have on other nearby roads, including junction 12 of the M5.

“The route is already under considerable pressure for a number of reasons," city councillor Lorraine Campbell wrote to Gloucestershire County Council (GCC).

She added: “The idea of even more vehicles impacting on this road system is obviously unsound, and always will be, surely?”

At a meeting on 22 May, environment and planning cabinet member for GCC David Gray, agreed the current proposals were unsound in the eyes of the highways authority.

He recommended that, in order to move forward, Taylor Wimpey UK Ltd should re-submit its application detailing proposed transport mitigations.