PEOPLE are being given the chance to say where they think a 2,000 home development should be built, with the decision likely to change the face of Cirencester.

A series of public consultations will be held to find out what people think of plans for the new homes which could be built on the airport site at Kemble in proposals that could replace the controversial Chesterton development in Cirencester.

Commercial Estates Group (CEG) put the radical proposal to Cotswold District Council (CDC) in response to its local plan which sets out where a total of 7,500 homes will be built in the region by 2031.

CDC’s Local Plan includes a proposal for 2,350 homes in the Chesterton area of Cirencester, but CEG suggested moving that development to Cotswold Airport, Kemble.

Airport bosses gave CEG permission to look at the feasibility of building on its site and now the plans are ready to be put to the public.

However, some people are concerned about the plans. Roger Woolley from Crudwell believes that 2,000 new homes would lead to an extra 4,000 vehicles on the road, many of which would have to travel through his village. He added that the single-carriageway A429, which is alongside the proposed site, is an accident blackspot and would not be suitable for developing into a dual carriageway.

He said: “This plan is flawed in so many ways, not least by lack of local infrastructure, especially regarding the expected extra volume of traffic on the A429 and theand the devastating effect this would have on the villages along it.”

CDC said Kemble airfield is not part of its Local Plan: “For development proposals to be incorporated into any Local Plan, policy requires that they must be supported by evidence to prove that they are sustainable and deliverable. Kemble airfield is an isolated location, removed from the nearby village and lacks services and facilities.

“The site is split between Cotswold district and Wiltshire county. A strategic development proposal would first need to be agreed by Wiltshire Council before it could be considered.”

Consultations are at the Tavern, Kemble on July 15 from 2pm - 8pm; Redesdale Hall, Moreton-in-Marsh on July 16 from 11am - 4pm and two shows will be held from 10am - 4pm on July 18 at Kemble Primary School and 3-4 Brewery Court, Cirencester.