A poll by Electoral Calculus and Find Out Now, on behalf of the Ampney Crucis Residents Action Group, asked people in the Cotswold District Council area whether they support new development in the area, and what they think of the new Local Plan.
Following new housing targets set by central government, the council is planning for about 14,665 extra homes over the next 18 years, an overall increase in the number of homes of about 35pc.
The Cotswolds area of outstanding natural beauty covers 79pc of the district, and the council is placing most of the new homes into just 21pc of the district. This massive new housebuilding is being pushed into a relatively small areas outside the AONB. This creates unsustainable high-density developments which are focused in the countryside around Cirencester, Fairford, Moreton-in-Marsh.
Key findings of poll, conducted across the whole of the Cotswold district area:
The sheer scale and location of this growth has ignited opposition among residents across the entire district. This is not simply about local opposition to new homes but a district-wide challenge against the practicalities of unrealistic housing targets being imposed by central government.
A key example is the village of Ampney Crucis, near Cirencester, which faces a staggering 270pc increase in its size. It currently has around 245 homes, which is planned to jump by 660 new homes to 905.
Speaking about the proposed development in Ampney Crucis, members of its Residents Action Group said: "Ampney Crucis is one of the most historically intact villages in the Cotswolds, with 45 listed buildings and a Conservation Area at its core. A 660-home urban extension here would cause irreversible harm to a heritage landscape that simply cannot be rebuilt once it is gone."
"We do not have the infrastructure to support this. Our roads are quiet country lanes, our primary school could not cope, the transport network and local services are totally insufficient"
"I hope common sense prevails as planning mistakes like this will have a dramatic effect on the all residents of local villages and even Cirencester itself. Please do make your views known to CDC as it's not too late!"
Map: Cotswold District Council area with AONB shaded green, and Local Plan proposed development sites marked as red spots.
The map shows the council have pushed most of the new development into the small patches of land (coloured pink) which are in the Cotswold council area but outside the AONB (or National Landscape). This results in relatively high-intensity development in these areas.
Around 90pc of the new development is being put in about 20pc of the land.
The question asked was "Thinking about development in the Cotswold District Council area, there are currently about 40,000 homes in the area. The council is making a "local plan" to increase that by 14,665, an increase of 35% over 18 years, following pressure from central government. How much have you heard already about this local plan?"
| Response | All voters |
|---|---|
| Quite a lot | 15% |
| Some information | 24% |
| Not much | 30% |
| Nothing at all | 31% |
Excludes 3% of people who didn't know
The poll asked people how much they had heard about the new local plan which would significantly increase the number of houses across the area. Over a third of residents (39pc) say they have already heard something about the local plan, while 61pc say they haven't heard much about it.
The question asked was "Do you think this amount of new development is too much or too little for the Cotswolds?"
| Response | All voters |
|---|---|
| Much too much | 33% |
| Too much | 31% |
| About right | 22% |
| Too little | 12% |
| Much too little | 1% |
| Net too much | 64% |
| Net too little | 13% |
Excludes 14% of people who didn't know
As Cotswold District Council works on a new plan for development that will continue to 2043, residents are sceptical about the scale.
A decisive 64pc say the proposed amount of new building is too much for the Cotswolds, compared to 35pc who think it is about right or not enough.
The question asked was "Do you think it would be good or bad for your own town or village to have many new homes?"
| Response | All voters |
|---|---|
| Very bad | 27% |
| Bad | 46% |
| Neither good nor bad | 10% |
| Good | 16% |
| Very good | 2% |
| Net bad | 72% |
| Net good | 18% |
Excludes 14% of people who didn't know
When asked about this happening on their own doorstep, enthusiasm is in short supply with 72pc saying many new homes would be bad for their area, compared to just 18pc who think it would be good.
The question asked was "Much of the new development is concentrated in places like the countryside around Cirencester, Fairford and Moreton-in-Marsh. These are outside the 'national landscape' area, also known as the area of outstanding natural beauty. Do you think it's good or bad for those places to have over 10,000 new homes?"
| Response | All voters |
|---|---|
| Very bad | 25% |
| Bad | 41% |
| Neither good nor bad | 10% |
| Good | 22% |
| Very good | 1% |
| Net bad | 66% |
| Net good | 23% |
Excludes 10% of people who didn't know
When asked about plans to build most new homes in countryside outside the National Landscape, 66pc say this would be bad for those areas, while only 23c think it would be good.
Under the council's plans for 14,665 homes, 7,930 would go in and around Cirencester, 1,560 around Fairford, and 2,135 around Moreton-in-Marsh. This amounts to 80pc of the new development going into just three areas.
The question asked was "Overall do you support or oppose the new local plan for the Cotswolds?"
| Response | All voters |
|---|---|
| Strongly oppose | 29% |
| Oppose | 26% |
| Neither support nor oppose | 19% |
| Support | 23% |
| Strongly support | 4% |
| Net oppose | 55% |
| Net support | 26% |
Excludes 13% of people who didn't know
The council says the local plan will decide where new development goes and what facilities, services and infrastructure are needed to support it, but residents remain unconvinced. Our findings show that over half (55pc) oppose the new local plan for the Cotswolds, with just 26pc in favour, a clear sign that residents have little appetite for the level of housebuilding being pushed from central government
Ellen Hopkins, Secretary of the Ampney Crucis Residents Action Group, said
"Cotswold District Council are custodians of the whole area, not just the part that falls within the Cotswold National Landscape. They have a responsibility to preserve and protect all of the unique and historic villages across this area, including Ampney Crucis, rather than handing them over to developers just to meet a quota."
"The proposed development in Ampney Crucis threatens centuries of heritage that cannot be rebuilt or replaced. Our historic landscape, village identity, and architectural character are at risk — once destroyed, they are lost forever. This is not progress; it's irreversible damage to our heritage and the Council should hang their heads in shame"
Doug Crook, Chair of the Ampney Crucis Residents Action Group, said "CDC have set themselves on a course as the government's gofer to destroy as many of our wonderful villages and communities that are outside the 'protection' of the National Landscape and contribute greatly to the attractiveness of the Cotswolds, rather than taking an equitable and holistic approach across the whole district."
"Ampney Crucis understands the need for more housing across the country, but it must be proportionate to the location and size of the community. CDC have thrown Ampney Crucis and other similar villages and small towns under the bus."
Martin Baxter, CEO of Electoral Calculus, said "People across the district are worried about the scale of the new developments, about villages and small towns doubling in size. And they don't like pushing the development into the countryside around Cirencester, Fairford and Moreton. Overall, people are opposed to the new local plan. We don't know whether people blame local or central government for this, but the level of dissatisfaction is palpable."
Find Out Now polled 114 adults in the Cotswold council area online from 21 November to 3 December 2025. The sample was weighted to be representative by gender and age.
Due to the sample size of this poll, the margin of error will be around 11pc for any question. That means there is a 9 in 10 chance that the true value of any poll finding is within 11 points of the estimates provided by this poll.
Find Out Now and Electoral Calculus are both members of the British Polling Council and abide by its rules.
Data tables for this poll are available here.
Ampney Crucis Residents Action Group is a non-profit neighbourhood association set up by local residents to co-ordinate the community's response to planning matters affecting Ampney Crucis, including the current Local Plan Review.
Its chair is Doug Cook, who is the former chair of the Ampney Crucis parish council.
Electoral Calculus is a pollster and political consultancy specialising in quantitative analysis and modelling for electoral and other market research projects. It has successfully predicted UK general elections since 2010. It was founded by Martin Baxter, its CEO.
Electoral Calculus is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules, and is a company partner of the Market Research Society.
Find Out Now is a polling and market research panel with 2.8 million members. Highly profiled respondents can be targeted instantly, with over 100,000 daily responses allowing the delivery of same-day nationally representative sampling.
Find Out Now are a member of the British Polling Council and abide by its rules, and are a company partner of the Market Research Society.