5. How were the current redevelopment plans decided?

The original wish of the community to see the Port redeveloped, with a significant port basin, connected canal and mixed-use development was generated through community consultation in 2003-2005 and was described as ‘putting the heart back into Brimscombe’.

The site has been included in the Stroud District Local Plan for many years and consulted on as part of the local plan process. It is expected to deliver the canal restoration, a minimum of 150 homes, some commercial and community space.

The design of the enabling infrastructure, mainly comprising the canal and basin, new bridge, canal/river crossing and a new access into the site, is largely fixed by the need to comply with the Environment Agency and Highway Authority’s requirements, to deliver a navigable canal for SVCC and to meet the physical constraints of the site. Options to achieve this and to take the site out of flood risk are very limited and the engineering solution has been designed by Atkins.

The vision for the site is set out in the Output Specification . This was formed building on early community consultation and in discussions with the different stakeholders (e.g Parish Council, SVCC, District Councillors, Homes England) and tested with developers, and is set within the policy requirements of the (District) Local Plan