Summary of Site Options.

While all of the sites chosen in the final selection phase have merit and with design and mitigation interventions they could be suitable for the location of some development. The site chosen scores highly across the board but is not without constraints and challenges. It does however offer many opportunities the be the location of an exciting, innovative and sustainable new settlement. The scale of the settlement is a primary consideration in the choosing of the location along with the other criteria applied throughout the sieving process. The settlement will have a populations bigger than that of Lydney (10,043) Coleford (9273) and Cinderford(8711),(2021 Census). The land budget plans for a prospective population of 12,600 and 5,275 dwellings. It is, consequently, essential that the new settlement fit into the strategic vision for the district and that it works with and improves the lives of the residents of the Forest of Dean District. The interdependency of the settlements within the forest is a strong theme of planning policy and consideration of the impact of a new large scale settlement is considered in all decision making. Some of the impacts have potential to be negative such as the impact of such a large development on the biodiversity and green infrastructure of the landscape in which it will rest. While 50% of the development is green infrastructure the nature of than green infrastructure will be carefully considered in order to maintain and enhance the existing character and biodiversity of the area. In the next phase the planning and nature of the design will be explored and the guidance described in the early section of this report will be applied to create an environmentally economically and socially sustainable new settlement.