Stroud District Council has confirmed its commitment to the regeneration of the Berkeley area, despite a lack of certainty from the Government.

Cllr Catherine Braun, council leader, said: "The district council is committed to the regeneration and future prosperity of the Berkeley area and actively supports and encourages proposals for new technologies which deliver on our commitment to transition as soon as possible to a net zero carbon economy.

"The former Berkeley power station site is allocated in the adopted Stroud District Council Local Plan as a key employment site for a range of educational, training, engineering and digital technologies related to advanced manufacturing, nuclear and renewable and low carbon energy generation.

"Together with our partners, we will continue to promote the work of South Gloucestershire and Stroud College and local businesses at the Gloucestershire Science and Technology Park, and we will seek to accelerate the delivery of appropriate development on the park by offering advice and support through our economic development functions.

"The council also believes in a thorough and transparent planning system, where all proposals are subject to the full range of environmental considerations and where the local community has a say in decisions, both directly and through their elected representatives.

"Unfortunately, the Government's Expression of Interest stage for the identification of Investment Zones requires each local planning authority to give its approval in principle to a streamlined consent process without any guarantees that it will address all of the relevant environmental issues in this sensitive location or that the process will take account of the views of local communities. Without these guarantees, the district council cannot give its support to these proposals."

The statement is supported by all of Stroud District Council's political group leaders.