JUBILANT campaigners cheered as hugely controversial plans for a £500 million incinerator at Javelin Park were refused by Gloucestershire County Council’s planning committee.

Councillors unanimously voted against the application during an 11-hour meeting attended by 200 members of the public.

Painswick Post Office, the oldest in England dating back to 1428 closed and Stroud’s first Tourism Day was a success showcasing the attractions available in the district.

After more than four decades waking up at 3.30am, popular milkman Norman Banyard retired.

Norman, 55, delivered to residents in the Stroud valleys since he was just 14 years old and handed over his last pint in March after 42 years of service.

Meanwhile work started on the new £40 million motorway service area between junction 11a and 12 of the M5.

At Chalford parents and councillors called for action on a traffic blackspot.

They asked for permanent traffic lights at the bottom of Old Neighbourhood to make the area safer for pedestrians.

Stroud’s very own Lance Armstrong asked all the SNJ readers to support his bid to be launched into orbit after entering the Lynx Space Academy competition.

Mark Thompson, 40, almost became a rocket man when he made it to the penultimate round thanks to hundreds of supporters who had been voting for him online.

But he failed to make it to the moon when he was knocked out of the final selection.

In other news, best-selling novelist Katie Fforde was shortlisted for the prestigious Romantic Novel of the Year award.

Stroud District Council became the first local authority in the country to sign 100 businesses up to a loyalty card scheme offering discounts on their purchases.

And the Merrywalks Shopping Centre in Stroud town centre celebrated 40 years since it first opened its doors.