PLANS to build 17 homes and refurbish a former Forest pub are being ruled on this week.

The proposals for land at The Swan on Ledbury Road in Staunton near Corse were being put before Forest Council planners in Coleford, with officers recommending they are turned down.

The Chamberlayne 2021 Discretionary Trust wants outline permission for ten self-build houses and seven affordable homes.

The proposals include car parking, landscaping, a play area and improvements to the former inn which is now the Staunton and Corse Community Hub.

The small housing estate would have a single road access from the A417 Gloucester Road while The Swan would retain its existing access from the Ledbury Road.

The masterplan for the site includes four one-bedroomed apartments, a couple of two-bed houses and 11 three-bedroom homes with a mix of one to two storeys in height.

The plan to develop land beside the old Swan Inn
The plan to develop land beside the old Swan Inn (Local Democracy)

The proposed improvements to The Swan included the installation of photovoltaic panels and a thermally efficient entrance.

The community hub is run by volunteers and acts as a licensed pub and cafe. They say the improvements would help secure its long term future by improving the building’s energy efficiency and reducing operating costs.

However, Staunton Parish Council has objected to the proposals and Corse Parish Council has raised concerns about the impact the new homes would have on the historic Chartist settlement.

They say the road in the area is of a “substandard width” and future maintenance of the nearby brook would be difficult to access and would increase the risk of flooding.

Corse Parish Council also says the extra homes would put more pressure on the doctor’s surgery and school. And some 21 people have objected to the proposals while one person has written in favour of the scheme.

They say it is an unnecessary expansion of the village which has had significant development in recent years.

Planning officers have recommended rejecting the scheme as they consider it to be unsustainable development in the countryside.

They also say it fails to demonstrate it would not harm protected species and priority habitats and fails to make provision for the management and maintenance of a local play area, public spaces or contributions to education.