It's just an anonymous five-bar gate at the moment, but if planners agree, the pipeline development of the £100m Eco Park project will get its first dramatic access gate with the arrival of an entrance some 115-feet wide and rising to more than 11 feet in height.

Across the centre, the letters 'FGR' will be carved into the twin gates, which will be made of hardwood set on a galvanised steel structure.

The gateway will lead to the Gloucestershire football club's Candriam Training Ground and, if approved, will mark recognition of the facilies which are just off the A419's approach to the M5's Junction 13.

Already in use after some early setbacks, the facility is the first element of the approaching Eco Park relocation for the club and the site, according to new manager Robbie Savage, is proving to be a vital benefit for the squad, which currently sits at number one in football's fifth tier, the Enterprise National League.

Submitted to Stroud District Council by Eco Park's architects Zaha Hadid, the gateway plan also affords a tantalising glimpse of how the club's new home will be themed, with supporting documents showing how the gates echo such styling elements as the stadium's appearance as well as a planned footbridge over the A419, the footway linking the south-side training ground and other elements of the park to the arena.

The architects confirmed that FGR have installed a new bellmouth off the main road and a field gate at the entrance, along with fencing from the gate to the existing hedge – but that the current solution was "not considered safe enough against intruders".

They added: "In addition, there is the desire to have a more representative gate," while details of the proposal include access control via Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) as well as a keypad for "unexpected visitors".

In an assessment of the habitat impact of the work, a biodiversity net gain report on the project found that the gateway changes would result in an overall uplift of 0.12 habitat units, resulting in a BNG percentage change of more than 87% for habitat units and 142% for hedgerow benefits.

In a recent update on the project, the club's CEO Dane Vince addressed impatience over the Eco Park project which had been voiced by some fans.

He said: "We are continuing to work through the various conditions that we need to discharge, to proceed to the next step - a slow, but important process. Work is also progressing on the wider site considerations such as access roads, traffic flow, and how the different areas of the site will work together."

Mr Vince, whose father, Dale Vince, owns Forest Green Rovers, added: "Everyone connected to the club are keen to break ground on the new stadium as soon as we can, but we must get this right and design something that is fit for purpose and will support FGR for many years to come."