TUTSHILL and Tidenham residents are joining forces with the district council to fight off a housing development in their area.

Special permission has been granted for the Tutshill and Tidenham Action Group (TTAG) to appear at a planning inquiry which could determine the future of a development set to be built on greenfield land near Chepstow.

The residents' group is campaigning against the building of 126 homes at Tutshill and have been granted "rule six" status, meaning they are allowed to appear and present evidence to the inquiry as an interested party.

The original planning application was turned down in a unanimous vote by the Forest of Dean (FoD) District Council's planning committee following strong opposition to the development.

However, Cheshire-based Gladman Developments, the developers behind the proposals, are attempting to overturn the decision.

TTAG and the FoD District Council are working together to build a strong case against the development, with a focus on cross-border issues, including healthcare and transport, which are rare occurrences as Tutshill is so close to the England-Wales border.

Nick Evans, a spokesman for TTAG, said: "This predatory development would see 126 houses built on green field land, in an area that simply does not have the amenities to support it.

"The numerous public objections to the original application shows that local people were incredibly concerned about the impact a housing estate of this size would place on the already stretched services that the community rely on, like our healthcare, education and transport infrastructure.

"Being recognised as an interested party by the planning inspector means that we can raise these crucial issues as part of the inquiry.

"Our position on the border between England and Wales means that there are a number of unique problems that this development could cause; from overburdening our doctor's surgery which is funded by the Welsh Government, to creating more traffic and pollution through Chepstow which is already a bottleneck for vehicles leaving the Forest.

"We are concentrating our efforts on these issues where we can have the most impact"

and working in partnership with the council to assist their experts and raise crucial technical issues, such as the impact on the landscape and environment."

Forest MP Mark Harper has given TTAG an assurance that he has written to the Secretary of State asking him to "call in" the planning decision so that it could be made by a minister rather than an inspector.

However TTAG understands that the proximity of the General Election means that a decision on whether to recover the decision may not be made until a new Government is in place, a situation which Mr Evans described as disappointing.

"Secretary of State Eric Pickles has made a number of decisions on planning inquiries in recent months which have been very helpful to our case, but it's disappointing that he may not be in a position to adjudicate on our appeal.

"The uncertainty of the election and the potential for a new Secretary of State now means that nothing is certain for us, so we are concentrating all of our efforts on working with the council to make the strongest possible case against this development.

"We are also approaching other Parliamentary candidates in the constituency to ask for their support", he added.

The Tutshill planning inquiry will take place in August.