{"id":766651,"date":"2024-12-09T07:44:27","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T07:44:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=766651"},"modified":"2024-12-09T10:13:20","modified_gmt":"2024-12-09T10:13:20","slug":"zaha-hadid-architects-timber-football-stadium-gets-fresh-planning-boost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/zaha-hadid-architects-timber-football-stadium-gets-fresh-planning-boost","title":{"rendered":"Zaha Hadid Architects\u2019 timber football stadium gets fresh planning boost"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stroud District Council’s development control committee reportedly approved a reserved-matters application for the new Forest Green Rovers ground last week.<\/p>\n

The local authority granted outline consent<\/a> for the Gloucestershire football club\u2019s 5,000-seat stadium five years ago.<\/p>\n

Planning officers recommended approval of the latest plans, saying they were satisfied that the reserved matters ‘generally follow the indicated information submitted and controlled by the conditions and S106 legal agreement of the approved outline planning consent\u2019.<\/p>\n

In a report to councillors, they added: \u2018The scheme provides a high-quality design and appearance and the layout and landscaping provide mitigation and enhancement and are considered acceptable.\u2019<\/p>\n

Outline approval of the scheme came in December 2019, six months after the council refused<\/a> earlier plans, citing noise, traffic and impact on the environment.<\/p>\n

The proposals were subsequently altered with changes including swapping one grass pitch to an all-weather surface, a revised landscaping strategy, increased matchday transport and clarifications regarding noise.<\/p>\n

Zaha Hadid Architects won a competition in 2016<\/a> to design a sustainable home for the Gloucestershire football club, which was on its way to promotion to the Football League but has since slipped back to the fifth tier of the game.<\/p>\n

The club is UN-certified as carbon-neutral, serves vegan food and is powered by renewable energy. It is chaired by environmentalist Dale Vince, owner of green energy firm Ecotricity.<\/p>\n

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The club, formerly known as Stroud FC, has been based at the New Lawn stadium in Nailsworth since 2006.<\/p>\n

Following Vince\u2019s acquisition of the club in 2010, the venue received a flurry of green upgrades including solar panels, a solar-powered robot grass mower and the world\u2019s first organic football pitch.<\/p>\n

When choosing the Zaha Hadid Architects proposals in 2016, Vince said: \u2018The really standout thing about this stadium is that it\u2019s going to be entirely made of wood \u2013 the first time that will have been done anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n

\u2018The importance of using wood is not only that it\u2019s a naturally occurring material, it has very low carbon content \u2013 about as low as it gets for a building material.<\/p>\n

\u2018And when you bear in mind that around three-quarters of the lifetime carbon impact of any stadium comes from its building materials, you can see why that\u2019s so important, and it\u2019s why our new stadium will have the lowest carbon content of any stadium in the world.\u2019<\/p>\n