Ambitious plans to build nearly 4,000 homes in two garden village developments, a secondary school and a new railway station can now be revealed.

And every single house built of the total 3,900 by 2040 will have to be carbon neutral, according to Stroud District Council’s draft local plan review.

The new railway station would be built in Sharpness enabling services to Cam and Gloucester, the document said.

The authority said it is under “significant pressure” from Government to find land for 12,800 homes.

The draft local plan – a blueprint which plans the future of the district over the next 21 years – said there would be two new garden village developments, including 2,400 homes in Sharpness with a new secondary school and railway station, and up to 1,500 homes in Wisloe.

The document added there is a proposal to build a total 5,000 homes in Sharpness by 2050.

Areas around Whaddon, Cam, Dursley, Stroud and Stonehouse are all in the running under the new local plan.

Smaller development sites will be considered at Berkeley, Minchinhampton, Nailsworth, Painswick, Brimscombe, King’s Stanley, Kingswood, Leonard Stanley, North Woodchester and Thrupp.

The district council is restricted by flood-risk areas and Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) planning policy, so is having to look further afield in the district to place the homes.

The final draft plan consultation will be sent to local residents for feedback, ready for pre-submission in Autumn 2020.

It is expected the new local plan will be adopted by Winter 2021/22, replacing the previous document which set out proposals up to 2031.

Proposals for other major developments include 2,500 homes, secondary and primary schools and shops are built in Whaddon, in the south of Gloucester, as well as 750 homes in Hunts Grove.

Public consultation on the draft local plan will last for eight weeks beginnng on November 18 and ending January 6, 2020.

Councillor Simon Pickering (Green, Stroud Slade), chair of the authority’s environment committee, said: “The committee is being asked to approve the latest round of extensive consultation.

“The radical change in this draft is our proposal that all new development should achieve a net carbon zero standard to support our target for a carbon neutral district by 2030.

“As we have said before, SDC is under significant pressure from Government to allocate land for development – if we do not, the council could lose some control of the planning process to Government.

“The 12,800 homes target is the central government number driven by a high need and relatively high cost of housing, and with much of the district covered by the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and floodplain, that presents significant challenges.

“Having a Local Plan since 2015 has meant Stroud now wins 94 per cent of appeals compared to 64 per cent without a local plan. I would urge everyone to respond to the consultation and help shape the future of the district.”