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Gloucestershire Business News

It's now full (wind-powered) steam ahead for Forest Green Rovers stadium plans

It is now full - wind-powered - steam ahead for Forest Green Rovers' plans to build a new 5,000 capacity all-seater wooden stadium.

Rovers chairman and Ecotricity owner Dale Vince announced via social media last night that the final planning obstacle for the scheme has been passed.

Eco Park - as the scheme is officially known - was passed by Stroud District Council planners at the second attempt in January.

When turned down last year at the first time of asking, Dale Vince appealed the decision to the government secretary of state.

That appeal became redundant when planning was passed, but when Siobhan Baillie was elected as the Conservative MP for Stroud in December, she threatened to 'call it in' for review.

However, last night Vince confirmed on facebook: "It's NOT being called in by the government - meaning it CAN go ahead....... such great news, I'm a little beside myself...

"Yes, it was a waste of three months and I'm sure it was politics at play - but the outcome matters more.

"We can push on now with the detailed design and all the other next steps - plenty more hurdles to cross, but this is a big one off the list.

"We're on our way, as the football song goes."

The plans will now go forward to the reserved matters stage where detailed designs for the stadium and surrounding infrastructure will be drawn up and submitted for approval.

With the scheme given outline planning permission and not subject to call-in, those plans should be waved through so long as they are not materially different to the original outline scheme.

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