Wednesday’s shock news that The Grace Network is likely to have to relocate from its Brimscombe Mill home of two years caused an outpouring of emotion from the community.
The charity which encompasses The Long Table, Kidstuff, The Furniturebank and The Bike Drop, was previously based at nearby Brimscombe Port, but was forced to move out at the end of September 2021 to make way for a new housing development, small business use, and regeneration of the area to encourage tourism. The site, which included the nationally renowned Rush Skatepark, was demolished in subsequent months.
In July 2022 Stroud District Council appointed St Modwen Homes as their chosen developer for the brownfield site, promising a low carbon development of 150 new sustainable homes, comprising 30 per cent affordable housing.
However, the development has stalled, and the site remains bare – a fact brought into sharp focus by the Grace Network’s second enforced move in two years. Stroud Times approached Stroud District Council for comment.
In a statement a spokesperson said: “We continue to work with St Modwen Homes on the Brimscombe Port development. The next step in the project is to share news about the redevelopment proposals and the opportunity to see and comment on the revised plans.
“We understand the importance of consultation and local input into the project and will share a further update about the project as soon as the revised plans are finalised.
“Progress at Brimscombe Port is slower than we originally anticipated, however the changes in economic circumstances in the past year have affected all development projects and led to delays with programmes across the country.”