A note on the re-categorisation of the two villages sought by the Ferris and Gower Councils

A lot of you will have seen the invitation from the two Sibford Councils on the website to comment on the proposed re-categorisation of the two villages. We have been asked what a change to Category B would mean. Roger Mallows, planning lead for the Gower Council explains:

As a consequence of the 2014 CDC Local Plan Review, Sibford Gower and Sibford Ferris were designated as one category A village for planning purposes. As a Category A village, this means that the Sibfords collectively are considered an appropriate location for further large-scale housing development e.g. as at Bloxham. By seeking to revise the categorisation to Category B (as it was prior to 2014), the potential scale of new housing development could be restricted to a smaller number (up to 10 dwellings according to current criteria) which is considered more appropriate to the character of the separate villages and their level of sustainability. The 2040 CDC Local Plan Review consultation document is due to be published later this month.

Hugh Pidgeon