Gloucester City: Flood-hit club's stadium plan approved

Gloucester City's Meadow Park has not been able to host games since 2007 (pictured in 2017)

A football club whose ground was destroyed in a flood 12 years ago has had plans for a new stadium approved.

National League South side Gloucester City AFC has not played at its Meadow Park home since 2007.

Planning permission was approved to redevelop the site in 2016, but the £4m plans were later deemed too expensive.

The revised proposal includes scrapping plans for two 500-seat stands in favour of two 350-seat structures.

Club director Alex Petheram said: "We're committed to bringing football back to Gloucester."

He hopes the club can return to Meadow Park by early 2020.

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Since being forced out by the flood, the club has shared grounds with several clubs including Evesham United, Cheltenham Town and Forest Green Rovers.

Gloucester City have not played at Meadow Park since the floods of 2007

Mr Petheram said: "We have got permission to play at Evesham for the first half of next year until Christmas, then a rolling monthly contract from January until the end of the season.

"The sooner the better for us. We will probably know a timescale in a month but frankly we don't want to be paying rent while we're trying to fund and build our own ground."

The club has submitted a funding application bid to the Football Stadia Improvement Fund, having had the stadium plans approved by Gloucester City Council.

Mr Petheram also confirmed to BBC Gloucestershire that the pitch had been raised since the 2007 flood, while the new stadium would have a capacity of about 3,200.

Meadow Park was Gloucester City's home stadium from 1986 until 2007.