A RENEWED attempt to build thousands of homes on green belt land north of Cheltenham is set to begin.
Developers are currently preparing plans which could see as many as 4,500 homes built on 1,000 acres in and around Elmstone Hardwicke.
And campaigners believe the blueprints could be tabled as soon as this summer.
The developer consortium behind the plans, made up of Bloor Homes and Persimmon Homes, had tried to build on the land in 2009.
But the plans that were pitched were put on hold after opposition from councillors.
The agricultural land has been earmarked by both Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Borough Councils as a housing site in the Joint Core Strategy planning document which is currently being formulated in partnership with Gloucester City Council.
Campaigners have vowed to protect the land, saying they believe the developers were "very close" to submitting the necessary planning applications for the "huge site".
Anne Griffiths from Save the Countryside, who lives in Lowdilow Lane, Elmstone Hardwicke, said: "It is thought the planning application will go in when the latest JCS update is announced.
"We are told that it is imminent.
"Building 4,500 houses on the site would basically be the equivalent of a new town the size of Tewkesbury.
"It would be absolutely devastating as 1,000 acres of prime agricultural land would be lost.
"People don't realise the amount of land that is at stake."
It is thought an application is likely to be submitted to the authorities in Tewkesbury and Cheltenham in August.
And council officials are expecting the number of proposed houses to be in the range of around 4,500 properties, the amount suggested for the site in the JCS document.
Any application is anticipated to take a long time to process, simply because it will have to be considered by both councils.
A decision would be unlikely to be made until mid-2014.
The proposed site extends well into the green belt.
A spokesperson for the developers said: "Bloor Homes and Persimmon Homes believe that North West Cheltenham is a good site for development, with the potential to deliver much-needed housing, jobs and schools for current residents of the area and their future generations.
"It is a central part of the draft Joint Core Strategy and consultation regarding the proposals has been on-going for a substantial period of time.
"We will be looking to bring a planning application forward in due course and are committed to open and accountable consultation and community dialogue as part of that process."
Save the Countryside campaigners will be holding a four mile circular protest walk on May 12 through the area.
The walk will start at 2pm from Stantons Drive in Swindon Village.
