AN influential master plan to improve Stroud is being developed.

The Stroud Concordat - which is made up of Stroud Town Council, Stroud District Council, Gloucestershire County Council and the Stroud Chamber of Trade - is responsible for drawing up a brief that will outline the important issues for the town over the coming years.

Chas Townley, chairman of the town council's consultation committee, said the blueprint for the future has been under discussion for three to four months.

"For us it is partly about creating public spaces in the town centre and improving the quality of environment," he said.

"It would be great if we could develop the railway station frontage or possibly the yard at back of Subscription Rooms into some sort of public square.

"It will also be about making Stroud barrier free. At the moment it not good for disabled people or those with buggies."

He added that it is important the town has good links with the £23-million regeneration of Stroud's canals.

"We are clear that the focal point of the canal-related development should be within the Wallbridge area where there's lot of opportunities for it to link into the town centre," he said.

"The town centre is very important economically as far as the Five Valleys are concerned.

"The plan will be about improving the shopping mix as there is a major issue around the loss of retail in town centre.

"We need to get the right combination of opportunities and employment in the town centre.

"We have benefited from things like the farmers' market but compared to other similar sized towns like Cirencester, we do not attract as many people.

"We've got to have some blue sky thinking but we must also realistic about what can be achieved.

"If this is successful Stroud could have a much more vibrant town centre."

Town councillor John Marjoram added: "We want to be more site specific about where new developments should go in the future.

"We want to get a definite programme to use with supplementary planning guide."