Major changes planned for Gloucestershire in 2026

The turkey is eaten, the wrapping paper is in the recycling bin, and now thoughts can turn to 2026.

From new roads to canals, leisure centres to housing, it is promising to be an exciting year across Gloucestershire.

Here are some of the projects set to happen in 2026.

After three years of construction, it is hoped motorists will finally be able to start driving on a new section of the new A417 missing link road during 2026.

Further works will take place throughout the year, with the £460m scheme set to be finished in 2027.

Once completed, a new three-mile (4.8km) dual carriageway will run between Gloucester and Cirencester, replacing the former heavily congested single track road near Birdlip.

Work on the junction is scheduled to start early in the year after approval for the project was granted by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander in June.

Currently, drivers can only access the M5 northbound from the junction but once the project is completed, motorists will be able to join and leave the motorway from both directions.

Scheduled for completion in 2028, the upgraded junction is a key piece in the development of homes and jobs to the north-west of Cheltenham, including the ongoing Golden Valley scheme.

However, question marks were raised over the project after it was revealed in September the revamp had risen from £70m to £363m - leaving a funding gap of £110m.

Gloucestershire's councils have committed to plug £40m of the shortfall, but central government has not yet said if it will put up the remaining £70m.

The government is due to reveal how local councils will look in Gloucestershire from 2028 in the summer.

The current six district councils and the county council are due to be abolished and replaced with either one or two super 'unitary' authorities, which will provide all local services from bin collections to road maintenance.

There are three options on the table – a single council spanning the whole of Gloucestershire, two east/west councils, or two councils made up of one for the city of Gloucester and another for the rest of the county.

Although there is no firm date, work is set to begin on the main building of the Five Acres leisure and community centre near Coleford in the Forest of Dean.

Situated on the former Gloucestershire College site, the £15m development has had multiple redesigns but will include a gym, football pitch, changing rooms, café and soft play area.

While works to reinstate the historic canal have been taking place for two decades, the project is set to move on to it's next phase – restoring the so called 'missing mile'.

This will see the waterway reconnected between Stonehouse and Saul Junction, opening up access to the rest of the national network.

The team were given an extra £6.5m in National Lottery funding in 2025, with Stroud District Council also providing an additional £1.5m to complete the project.

The 'missing mile' was filled in during the 1960s to allow for the M5 motorway to be built, and so far more than 750 volunteers have taken part in the wider restoration, working a combined 93,600 hours on construction, biodiversity improvements and community engagement.

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