Consultation Portal

Stroud District Council is preparing the Brimscombe Area Action Plan (AAP) in response to the issues and opportunities presented by the wider restoration of the Stroudwater Navigation and the Severn and Thames Canal.

The Cotswold Canals Partnership have already made some significant steps in the delivery of the canals restoration with an acknowledged expectation that the Cotswold Canals improve the quality of people’s lives. Some locations along the Cotswold Canals present particularly complex and challenging problems where different interests coincide with specific technical challenges in restoring full navigation. Brimscombe has such challenges.

A clear issue is the fact that the canal route is infilled at Brimscombe, with subsequent development having been built on those infilled areas. Furthermore the area has heritage significance and also the potential to be a unique landmark feature within the wider canal corridor. There are complex interactions between the planning constraints, community and stakeholder aspirations, potential restoration options and deliverability.

The final AAP will seek to resolve as many of these challenges as possible when it is implemented. It will aim to reconcile the potentially conflicting requirements of restoration, conservation and new development. This issues and options paper is one step towards achieving community and stakeholder consensus for the future of this area. Difficult decisions will need to be made over the types of development, conservation, accessibility and viability if the restoration is to proceed. The AAP will have information accompanying it as it progresses to allow you to make informed comments about the impacts of differing planning options. The Cotswold Canals Brimscombe AAP will be an important part of our Local Development Framework.