Plans have been submitted to turn the area in front of the National Waterways Museum in to a haven for gongoozlers.

The Waterways Museum in Orchard Square, part of Gloucester's Historic Docks wants to install an outdoor seating and events area in front of the museum.

It will act as extra seating for the museum's existing café and have a dual use as an outdoor events space, complete with public address system.

According to the Musuem's website, the café already prides itself has being an ideal spot for gongoozling - the dictionary-defined term for an 'idler who stares at activity on a canal.'

And with new bench seating the new area will be the ideal area to partake in the pastime.

According to the Canal and River Trust who run the Waterways Museum the addition of the seating and event space would be a positive in an already vibrant area of the city.

In a letter submitted with the planning application, they said: "The proposal would create high quality, vibrant and sympathetic with the historic context space."

However, the plan to section off the area with coloured advertising banners between planters has not gone down well with the Civic Trust.

In consultation to the plans the Trust said that the "drawings show benches which are of acceptable quality for this very visible site.

"The six advertising banners for the Trust are not acceptable. One carrying coloured advertising will be quite sufficient."

The change of land application was made to Gloucester City Council on December 16 and is now subject to public consultation which will close on January 9.