Flying the flag for Palestine from his Ecotricity headquarters, Dale Vince has revealed Stroud District Council planning officials have asked him to apply for planning permission.
Mr Vince’s Stroud-based green energy company raised the flag last week and have been flying the flag at the home of Forest Green Rovers since 2022.
However, planning permission is required before the flag is hoisted and failing to acquire the paperwork falls foul of The Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007.
Mr Vince spoke to broadcaster Ian Collins on his Zerocarbonista podcast, he said: “The council just got in touch today and said ‘Oh, you can’t actually fly that flag without planning permission because Palestine is not recognised by the British government’.”
“We are flying the flag out of solidarity with Palestinian people – it’s all kinds of frustrating to me that such things are happening and are allowed to happen in Palestine, the exact things, only more so, that we see in Ukraine done by Russia, and the reaction that we give to Russia is completely different to the one we give to Israel.
“I think it’s racism quite frankly, Arab lives aren’t as important as European ones.”
In a post on Facebook, Mr Vince said he was heartened to gain support from the Green Party, he added: “Great to have support of the Greens on Stroud Council – for the Palestinian flag we’re flying on our HQ building. I get that the planning department has to respond to complaints but I think they have mis read planning rules – there is no mention within them that a country must be recognised by the UK – to allow it’s flag to be flown.”
In a statement to Stroud Times, a spokesperson for SDC said: “After being made aware of the flag on the front of Ecotricity building in Stroud, and reviewing planning regulations, we have invited the company to submit an application for advertising consent.
“In England, certain flags may be flown without the need for express consent from a local planning authority. Those not needing consent include national flags of recognised states, flags of international organisations of which the UK is a member, and flags representing local authorities or public services. However, the Palestinian flag is not listed among those with automatic or deemed consent.
“Consequently, display of this flag on a building is treated as an advertisement under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007, primarily to ensure that displays don’t negatively impact public safety or amenity.
“We have contacted Ecotricity to explain the relevant regulations and invited the company to consider submitting an application to regularise the display.
“We are committed to applying planning regulations fairly and consistently, and we are happy to provide guidance to anyone seeking clarification on advertisement consent requirements.”
