Almost three years after St Modwen Homes was selected to deliver Brimscombe Port in partnership with Stroud District Council, the developer has withdrawn from the project.
The news comes just five months after St Modwen was bought by Edinburgh-based Miller Homes, in January 2025, with its new owners carrying out a review of its entire portfolio of projects.
St Modwen had previously held a public consultation in December 2024, with details of how the development of the site would look, with the firm describing the project as 'an unprecedented opportunity to reinvent and regenerate’ the area.
Sharing her disappointment at the news, councillor Chloe Turner, leader of Stroud District Council, said: 'As I know local residents and wider project stakeholders will be, I am incredibly disappointed by this outcome and the timing of the decision, following the well-received public consultation on the project.
'We have worked over many years to secure more than £5 million in public funding to address the challenges of this former industrial site; and to develop detailed infrastructure and engineering plans for restoring the canal and port basin.
'This public subsidy helped to make the project commercially viable when we went out to tender in 2022 and we had been delighted with St Modwen Homes’ enthusiasm for delivering this flagship project, based on their experience with other challenging brownfield sites.'
Stroud District Council, owners of Brimscombe Port, has spent the past 10 plus years working on proposals for the redevelopment of this site, which is in an Industrial Heritage Conservation Area, in conjunction with community stakeholders with an interest in the historic Cotswold Canals.
It was hoped that the redevelopment would see 150 new energy-efficient homes built along with the canal and port basin reinstated and cycle and walking routes created.
Chloe added: 'The whole team here at Stroud District Council is deeply saddened and frustrated by the Miller Homes decision and the impact that the inevitable delay will have on our local communities. We know this was a viable scheme which was effectively ready for a planning application to be considered.
'Brimscombe Port is a challenging site to develop and although the new owner of St Modwen Homes says it does not fit their risk profile, we believe other developers could make it work.
'We recognise that this is an uncertain time and we’re committed to keeping the local community up to date with news as soon as we know more from Homes England, on the next steps to deliver the shared vision for the site.'
