Two new employment units for Stonehouse which could provide hundreds of jobs have won the unanimous backing of Stroud District councillors.

Developer Robert Hitchins Ltd via their planning consultants DPP sought reserved matters approval to build the units at its Stroudwater 13 Business Park.

"This is a very good scheme," said Cllr Mark Ryder, who welcomed the opportunity it creates for local businesses to expand in an area where opportunities have been limited for some time.

Together the units of 53,500 sq ft and 22,000 sq ft have a gross development value of £11 million and have the potential to provide hundreds of new jobs in a prime location close to the M5.

Discussions with a potential occupier for one of the units are well advanced and it is hoped that both units can be brought forward simultaneously with a start on site later this year.

Michael Plimmer, senior development manager at Robert Hitchins, welcomed the decision by Stroud District Council.

"Stroudwater 13 offers a great opportunity for new industrial, manufacturing and warehouse development, either on a freehold turnkey or leasehold basis, in an area which has been starved of any significant commercial development for some time due to the lack of available employment land.

"We are really pleased that the finer details of our scheme have now been approved enabling us to move forward," he said.

"The development will provide modern, state-of-the-art facilities and important jobs for local people as part of a sustainable, mixed-use development."

The six-acre site, close to J13 of the M5 and just off the A419, already had outline planning consent for E(g), B2 and B8 uses as part of the Great Oldbury mixed-use development taking shape west of Stonehouse, near Stroud.

A new access and service roads to the business park and wider Great Oldbury development are also complete.

The site in Oldends Lane is prominently located off a new roundabout on the new link road between Stroudwater and the mixed-use Great Oldbury Scheme which comprises 1,300 homes and a local centre.

It forms an extension to Stroudwater Business Park where companies including Schlumberger, Renishaw, Dairy Crest, Dentsply and Delphi make it an established location for major occupiers. It also adjoins the new £15 million cheese manufacturing facility and company HQ being constructed for Dairy Partners.

The marketing agents are Cushman and Wakefield and Alder King.