COLUMN by Stroud District Council deputy leader Pete Kennedy

DEMOCRACY, scrutiny and accountability was on full display last week.

Leaders from each party were scrutinising the Brimscombe Port project at the Strategy and Resources Committee, which can be viewed at youtube.com/@strouddistrictcouncil1974 The Brimscombe Port regeneration project, located in the Golden Valley, encapsulates so much of our area’s unique character.

Beautiful Cotswolds countryside meets proud industrial heritage.

This inland port, once critical to trade and commerce, was filled in and the land is contaminated. Its huge potential cannot be realised without the Council’s leadership and public investment.

The successful project will create a vibrant new community and reinvigorate the surrounding area.

The canal will be restored, along with the port basin, creating a beautiful marina-style destination.

Shops, offices, houses and community space will all be constructed to high environmental standards. The current concrete jungle will be replaced with canal boats, green technology, and plenty of space for nature. We will attract new businesses, new visitors, and new wildlife; while building affordable homes on this beautiful brownfield site.

There is more on the project at stroud.gov.uk/brimscombeport

It’s a big, exciting project, but delays and uncertainty have contributed to frustration in the community.

The pandemic caused chaos within the construction industry, then national budget uncertainty, the war in Ukraine, and skyrocketing energy prices put many projects around the country on hold.

Informed by community concerns, councillors at the Strategy and resources committee asked detailed questions about community consultation, project governance, costs and risk management, and environmental standards.

I thought it was a shining example of councillors, officers and the community working together - and the outcome was that the Brimscombe Port report was passed unanimously.