FRESH concerns have been raised about plans for a KFC in the heart of Stroud.

It has been claimed that drains at the derelict site near McDonald’s in Merrywalks cannot cope with another large building, leading to flooding concerns.

An objector commenting on behalf of the Maltings - a block of apartments next door to the proposed site - has raised flooding fears.

They say the building has flooded twice in the last two years due to heavy rainfall and claim the drain system in the area is already ‘problematic’. This has led to concerns that an extra business would severely affect the drainage system.

Commenting on the application, submitted to Stroud District Council, the objector wrote: “We are concerned about the additional load this new facility will bring on an already problematic drain system in the immediate area.

“The Maltings, which is situated next door and downhill from the proposed building, has been flooded within the last two years.

“A manhole nearby hasn’t been able to cope with a large amount of rainfall on two occasions and the excess water from this drain has entered the Maltings building.

“I believe this drain already services McDonald’s and Rowcroft. We are currently in communication with Severn Trent Water to find a solution to the problem and we are concerned that the drainage system, in its current form, cannot facilitate another large building.”

Documents addressing flooding fears and also addressing earlier traffic concerns have now been submitted on behalf of the applicant. They say: “The ground floor within the building will be significantly above the predicted flood level, and therefore no resilient measures are appropriate or sustainable.

“The lower ground and upper ground will therefore be safe for all occupants and provide a safe refuge who can also use the car park. Our research shows that the proposal is therefore safe for its lifetime and does not make flooding worse elsewhere.”

Regarding traffic concerns, the applicant says: “The site is accepted to be accessible by means of transport other than private cars. There are adjacent retail, leisure, and employment uses that customers could walk to the site or cycle to the site from. The town centre is within an easy walk.

“In addition, bus services can be reached via a short level walk of the site with Stroud’s bus station being on street along Merrywalks to the east. There is no dispute that the site is highly accessible and being adjacent to the town centre will offer the potential for linked trips.

“Our report has demonstrates that the proposed redevelopment is acceptable in highways and transportation terms, and that there is not a ‘severe’ impact of the proposal.”

Plans have been in the pipeline for more than a year-and-a-half for a KFC, a Costa cafe and five apartments at the former Cotswold Indoor Bowls Club building near McDonald’s in Merrywalks.

When contacted this week by the SNJ for an update on the situation, an SDC spokesperson said: “We are continuing to assess this application for planning permission.

“Several aspects of this application require more input from key stakeholders before a recommendation or decision can be made.”

Concerns about the application were raised shortly after it was submitted by councillors and business owners about extra traffic on Merrywalks.

In April , the plans hit another stumbling block after highways requested that the application be deferred.

In what could be a crunch time for the application, members of Stroud Town Council were also due to discuss the proposals at Monday night’s consultations and highways meeting.

See the plans - tinyurl.com/2627r8td