Column by deputy leader of Stroud District Council, Catherine Braun.

We are building 101 new council homes right across Stroud District by 2025.

The first phase of projects is now being completed, delivering 36 affordable and secure homes in Minchinhampton, Eastington and Nailsworth.

It was a real pleasure to see the nine new bungalows at Broadfield Road in Eastington recently. These new homes are accessible for wheelchair users and will have EV charging, with solar panels and air source heat pumps to keep bills low. Consideration has been given to nature too, with green spaces and a wildflower meadow area.

The next phase of projects will deliver 49 new homes to the same high standards, across sites in Wotton-under-Edge, Dursley, Cam and Ebley.

Further investment in our area was discussed at the recent Strategy & Resources Committee, where councillors approved allocation of £275,000 for project development costs for a Levelling Up Fund bid, to be submitted to the Government in July.

The bid is called “Gateways, Landmarks and Access for All” and has been developed in collaboration with partners. If successful, it could secure £10 - £15 million investment in Stroud town centre, improving key gateways, at the railway station and from the canal at Wallbridge.

The bid also aims to create better pedestrian and cycle routes and improve access to the town’s historic arts venues. Stroud Town Council is consulting (until 29 April) on the part of the bid which proposes a new town square: stroudtownsquare.commonplace.is

We’ll review the final bid at the June Committee meeting and in the meantime an outline can be found here (Item 5, Appendix 1): stroud.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=137&MId=1145

Finally, it is good to see that many people have taken an interest in our Draft Canals Strategy. There’s still time to have your say, as the deadline for comments has been extended to 27 May: stroud.gov.uk/canalstrategy