Green light for DIY store (From Stroud News and Journal)

Green light for DIY store

HOMEBASE will soon be setting up shop on the edge of Stroud after planners gave the DIY store the green light.

At a meeting of Stroud District Council's development control committee on Tuesday councillors agreed to allow the giant store to be built at the Far Hill car park off Cainscross Road.

Although there was considerable opposition to the scheme from many councillors, planning officer John Langmuir reminded them there was already a very similar plan which had permission which made it difficult to turn this one down.

A large DIY store with attached garden centre, and adjoining car park will be built on the waste land.

The developers will have to provide a bus shelter, £70,000 towards a canal crossing and £170,000 towards road improvements as planning gain.

Several conditions were put on the plan. "This is a residential area and architecturally that's diabolical," said Cllr Mike Williams.

"It is going to cause traffic chaos as well as parking problems."

Cllr John Marjoram said the store would create the wrong impression for people coming into town along the canal.

"It will look like the backside of Birmingham," he said. The 5m wooden fence which will run along the side of the canal also caused a stir.

"You would struggle to find anything as ugly as that from Cainscross to the town centre," said Cllr Andy Read.

Cllr Graham Littleton asked for the upkeep of flood defences which will need to be put in to remain the responsibility of the developer.

This condition, as well as a commitment to redesign pedestrian and cycle access and coming up with an alternative to the offending wooden fence were all passed by the committee.