Dunstalls Farm Arlingham Road Saul Gloucester Gloucestershire GL2 7JE

1. 1.No detailed business plan or supporting justification has been submitted to demonstrate an essential need for the proposed commercial units to be located within the open countryside. The proposal is unrelated to, and unconnected with, any existing business or established enterprise on the site. The application also fails to show why the development cannot be reasonably accommodated within the existing buildings on the site, or on other suitable employment sites within the wider locality. The proposal would introduce additional commercial/industrial buildings, together with the associated paraphernalia and operational activity at the site. In the absence of such evidence, the proposal represents an unwarranted and unjustified expansion of employment development in a countryside location where new built form is strictly controlled. The development therefore fails to demonstrate that it is necessary, proportionate, or appropriately sited. As such, the proposal is considered in-principle contrary to Policy EI4 and CP15 criterion 2 of the Stroud Local Plan.
2. 2.The application site lies within Flood Zone 3, defined by the Environment Agency as land having a high probability of flooding. The proposed development is therefore required to be supported by a Sequential Test to demonstrate that there are no reasonably available sites at lower risk of flooding. No such assessment has been submitted. In addition, in the absence of a satisfactory Exception Test, the proposal fails to demonstrate that the wider sustainability benefits of the development outweigh the flood risk, or that the development can be made safe for its lifetime without increasing flood risk elsewhere. Furthermore, the submitted Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) is inadequate and does not provide sufficient information to assess the level of risk or demonstrate that appropriate mitigation measures would ensure the development remains safe throughout its lifetime. For these reasons, the proposal fails to demonstrate that it would be safe from flood risk and would not increase flood risk elsewhere. The development is therefore contrary to Policy ES4 of the Stroud District Local Plan and the requirements of Section 14 (Meeting the challenge of climate change, flooding and coastal change) of the National Planning Policy Framework.

From the council's decision notice.

Postcode

GL2 7JE

Application type

Outline Planning Application

Scale / size

Small

Parish

Fretherne With Saul Parish Council

Date validated

21 January 2026

Consultation expiry

5 March 2026

Consultation end

5 March 2026

Agent address

MSP Architecture The Pike House Kingshill Road Dursley GL11 4BJ

Documents

6