10 hours Ago
The club was granted outline planning permission for the new 5,000-seat ground near junction 13 of the M5 back in December 2019. And now Dale Vince’s Ecotricity Group Limited’s plans for the layout, scale, external appearance of the stadium and the landscaping of the site have been approved by Stroud District Council . The ground has been designed to be emblematic and its distinct appearance is generated by its undulating roofscape, acting as a unifying gesture, which contrasts with the deliberate tectonic expression of the dense spacing of the structural timber frames, according to the developers.
Their aim is to retain the site’s rural setting and attributes while integrating the new stadium for Forest Green Rovers as a focal point for the club and wider community. The stadium has been designed with climate change in mind and integrates measures of energy efficiency and resilience against extreme weather conditions such as flooding or heatwaves. Colin Peake, a life member of Forest Green Rovers, spoke in favour of the scheme at the development control meeting at Ebley Mill on December 3.
He said he held a leading role in the club for 20 years and became its first full time employee as managing director. Mr Peake said he spoke before the committee 20 years ago for plans for the current stadium. “Whether you’re a devotee of the game or not, very few can argue that the club has brought the world to your doorstep with what has been witnessed over the last few years,” he said.
“From small acorns, oak trees grow. And while I cannot guarantee the small acorn of Newton Heath which became Manchester United is likely to happen at junction 13, I know that the late Trevor Horsley and I dreamt of where Forest Green Rovers FC could aspire to reach. “It was some dream when you had just 32 people and a dog watching a game of football when we first took over.
“Fortunately, that is now a distant memory and so what lies over the horizon no one can really know. “Whoever has ownership or takes over the running of this football club since 1889, all of us, including Dale Vince, are just temporary custodians. “But each and every one of us has had the same objective which is to leave it in a better place for a future generation to enjoy.
” He called on the committee to look at the “bigger picture” and approve plans for the “iconic” stadium which will be a gateway to Stroud. “It will make a massive statement to those coming into the district by creating a first impression and a vision of what Stroud is all about,” he added. Councillor Robert Brown (C, Severn), who represents the area that covers the new stadium, also addressed the meeting.
He told councillors of the concerns two of the six nearby parish councils have over the proposals. “Great Olbury Parish Council’s principle concern is that, on matchdays, visitors may seek free parking on the streets of Great Oldbury which would cause significant inconvenience to residents and potentially damage to the area,” he said. He said the stadium would have 1,700 parking spaces of which 170 are accessible, spread across three zones, for 5,000 people, working out at 0.
34 spaces per person. He said the figure appeared to be generous and is confident car parking is sufficient for its current capacity but it would not be the case if the stadium capacity is increased to 10,000 in the future. “Forest Green Rovers must charge a parking fee which is low enough so it doesn’t discourage visitors from parking on site,” he said.
He also said Eastington Parish Council made many technical objections to the scheme and they said it is not in accordance with the District Council’s current local plan nor the village’s neighbourhood development plan. Cllr Brown said he did not see any material reason to reject the application. During the debate, Cllr Martin Brown (G, Bisley) said the stadium looked “very fine”.
“It’s really admirable planning for the landscape so I will vote to support it,” he said. This was echoed by Cllr Martin Pearcy (G, Coaley and Uley). “They’ve put an awful lot of effort into making this as good as they can,” he said.
And Cllr Mark Ryder (C, Hardwicke) said it was a fantastic asset for the district. Councillors voted unanimously to approve the proposals. Separate plans to demolish Forest Green Rovers New Lawn Stadium at Forest Green in Nailsworth to make way for up to 95 new homes were also approved by the committee.
.
