A scenic 18th Century garden near Stroud will be getting a new visitor centre.

Painswick Rococo Garden, known for its flower displays and views of the Cotswold countryside, had its application to build a new centre, education and community room  and a function room approved on Tuesday night by Stroud District Council’s development control committee.

The planned development will be split into two phases, with the first phase being the main visitor and garden facilities and the second phase will be the function room for weddings and community uses.

The car park will also be expanded to make space for more vehicles, a council document said.

Speaking in the meeting, councillor Nigel Cooper (C, Painswick and Upton) said:  “We were told that this facility is visited by more than 50,000 people a year.

“It is an important tourist destination for the district.”

A council officer said in a report the proposal “does cause harm” to the parkland, but the position of the new new centre is “in the least intrusive available” and mitigation measures have been put in place.

They said: “Whilst the proposal will cause some harm this has been mitigated and controlled as much as possible.

“It is therefore considered that the overall benefits of the scheme including the sustainable future of the garden are such that they outweigh the harm.”