Dale Vince speaks with Forest Green’s new eco-friendly wooden stadium given green light

Dale Vince speaks in an interview with ITV News as Forest Green’s new eco-friendly wooden stadium is given the green light.

The National League club intends to establish the 5,000-seat stadium in proximity to junction 13 of the M5 motorway with the existing stadium, known as The New Lawn, set to be demolished to facilitate the development of 95 new residential units.

The plans for the new stadium, submitted by Dale Vince’s Ecotricity Group Limited, has now received the endorsement of Stroud District Council.

Dale Vince said: “The studies that we did for the entire concept of Eco Park, which is a 4,000 job green tech business park and the stadium and some other things will have a 20% biodiversity boost compared to today’s farming background level.

“Most people think when you’re building something, you’re harming nature, but it doesn’t have to be that way and we will prove that when we build this. And in our studies we’ve proven on the desktop and we’ll prove it in the real world when we get the chance.”

A new home for @FGRFC_Official.

Eco Park will be the first stadium made entirely from wood – beautiful, natural, and sustainable material. It’ll have the lowest carbon footprint of any sports stadium in the world – since the Romans invented concrete… 🙂 pic.twitter.com/2eusdU2a22

— Dale Vince (@DaleVince) December 5, 2024

We’ve taken a step closer towards the world’s greenest sports complex and a fabulous facility for the local community.@FGRFC_Official https://t.co/f69alFFdtW

— Dale Vince (@DaleVince) December 4, 2024

Proposed plans include a “distinct appearance” influenced by the design of the stadium’s roof while the objective is to keep the site’s rural setting and incorporate the new stadium as a central element for both the club and the broader community.

The stadium takes into considering climate change, incorporating energy-efficient solutions and taking into account severe weather events, including flooding and heatwaves.

Vince continued: “We’ve been clear for probably 10 years, our goal is to get to the Championship. So the new stadium is a part of that.

“If you look at our current situation, we’re constrained in terms of access, parking, power and water. On matchdays we have problems with all of those things and the new place is super accessible from the A419, the M5, and from all around the county. So that would help us grow our crowd as we grow as a club to be a Championship Football Club.”

Colin Peake, a life member of the football club, spoke in favour of the scheme at the development control meeting, saying: “Whether you’re a devotee of the game or not, very few can argue that the club has brought the world to your doorstep with what has been witnessed over the last few years.

“From small acorns, oak trees grow. And while I cannot guarantee the small acorn of Newton Heath which became Manchester United is likely to happen at junction 13, I know that the late Trevor Horsley and I dreamt of where Forest Green Rovers FC could aspire to reach.

“It was some dream when you had just 32 people and a dog watching a game of football when we first took over.

“Fortunately, that is now a distant memory and so what lies over the horizon no one can really know.

“Whoever has ownership or takes over the running of this football club since 1889, all of us, including Dale Vince, are just temporary custodians.

“But each and every one of us has had the same objective which is to leave it in a better place for a future generation to enjoy.”

Councillor Robert Brown, representing the area which covers the new stadium, said two of the six nearby parish councils had concerns over the proposals, but he did not see any material reason to reject the application.

Councillors voted unanimously in approval of the proposals.

He said, per Gloucestershire Live: “Great Olbury Parish Council’s principle concern is that, on matchdays, visitors may seek free parking on the streets of Great Oldbury which would cause significant inconvenience to residents and potentially damage to the area”

The new ground would have 1,700 parking spaces of which 170 are accessible, spread across three zones, for 5,000 people, working out at 0.34 spaces per person.

He said the figure appeared to be generous and is confident car parking is sufficient for its current capacity but it would not be the case if the stadium capacity is increased to 10,000 in the future.

He added: “Forest Green Rovers must charge a parking fee which is low enough so it doesn’t discourage visitors from parking on site”

On the overall design and appearance, Stroud Borough Council’s report states: “At outline stage design is not normally given weight. However, in this case as the design of the stadium formed part of the planning justification and great emphasis was placed on the quality of the iconic design, the delivery was controlled within the signed S106 legal agreement. The reserved matters therefore had to be substantial in accordance with the illustrations provided.

“Officers are satisfied that the design and appearance of the stadium follows the indicative design put forward at outline stage. The curved form with sweeping flowing corners and timber construction retains the potential to become an iconic symbol and landmark at one of the entry points to the district and generate local pride.

“The scale of the stadium is also within the limits set at outline and controlled via conditions. The footprint of the stadium is within the limits set by the parameters plans and the maximum height is 19.50m above a ground level of 18.50m is in line with the outline which stated that the height of the stadium shall not exceed 19.54m above the existing ground level of 21m. The proposal is a large structure but maintaining the quality of the design including landscaping is critical to reduce the impacts on the surrounding landscape.

“The capacity of the stadium is controlled by condition on the outline. However, the design has been future proofed with the architects outlining that the bowl shell could see an increase. This would require a separate application where the implications of this could be fully considered.”

While Eastington Parish Council submitted lengthy reservations about the development and Great Oldbury Parish Council were worried about the traffic congestion it will cause, all other consultees – including National Highways, Gloucestershire County Council Highways, Historic England, Cotswold Natural Landscape Boards and others – meanwhile – raised no objections.

Stroud District Council consented to the reserved matters relating to design and appearance.

Forest Green Rovers chairman Dale Vince said: “This ground-breaking stadium will provide a new home for FGR. The 5,000-capacity stadium will be the first stadium to be made almost entirely from wood which is beautiful, natural, durable and sustainable.

“We’ve taken a step closer towards the world’s greenest sports complex and a fabulous facility for the local community.”

Forest Green Rovers are planning a brand new, wooden stadium 🤩🌏🌳@DaleVince tells us all about it.#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/zAJz11qNbV

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) October 6, 2023