Town holds mock funeral over housing plans

Carolyn Stamley (pictured) finds the increase in homes being built 'heartbreaking'

Dozens of people turned out at a protest in a Cotswold town concerned about house building with some wearing black to symbolise mourning with a mock coffin bought in on a van.

Housing plan proposals from Cotswold District council would see Moreton-in-Marsh taking on thousands more homes.

Cotswold District Council has to find places to build more than 18,000 homes over the next two decades after the government updates its housing targets.

The government said it wanted to ensure "new homes are built where they are most needed – but crucially not at the expense of the environment", while council leader Mike Evemy was "lobbying" to get official targets reduced.

Some 80% of the Cotswolds district is within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

The protestors in Moreton-in-Marsh on Wednesday evening said they were concerned the town was taking on too much housing compared to the rest of the district.

Parish and town councils were being briefed at Redesdale Hall on the changes to the housing plan.

Some protestors wore black to symbolise mourning with a mock coffin bought in on a van

Carolyn Stamley has lived in the town for 63 years but felt the town had changed a huge amount because of development.

She said: "I've watched the change in the town and it's so upsetting.

"Schools aren't big enough, there's nowhere to park, you can't get a doctor's appointment."

Another resident Greg Moore was worried about how much traffic was coming through the village and children's safety as a result.

He said: "The main issue being the roads in the area, they're not fit for purpose but the increase in traffic has been exponential in recent years."

Leader of Cotswold District Council Mike Evemy (pictured) encouraged residents to submit their views to the consultation

Leader of Cotswold District Council Mike Evemy said he "recognises there's concerns here" and has previously written to the Housing Secretary complaining about the increase.

He said: "What I would say to those people is take part in the consultation.

"We have to go through a process because if we don't do this what will happen is we will just get piecemeal development, 200 houses here or there and we won't get the infrastructure."

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson has previously said: "For too long people have been locked out of the dream of homeownership, which is why all areas including Gloucestershire must play their part to deliver 1.5 million homes."

"We are taking decisive action to make this a reality by overhauling the planning system and introducing mandatory targets for councils to ramp up housebuilding, ensuring new homes are built where they are most needed – but crucially not at the expense of the environment."

A six week consultation is expected to start on 14 November and finish on 2 January 2026.