Ecotricity, based in Stroud, has been granted planning permission to construct the innovative 300-people building on the site of a derelict DSS office, which has stood empty at the entrance to the town for more than a decade.

Ecotricity's plans include a mass of environmentally-friendly features that will together create the greenest office building in the country. These include rainwater harvesting, induced convection ventilation, passive and active solar heating and even living walls.

Ecotricity currently employs 170 people in Stroud and is expanding rapidly. The location has been chosen to minimise 'travel to work carbon', being walking distance from the town centre, on the major bus routes, the area's cycle network and right next to the Cotswold canal, along which Ecotricity is considering running a shuttle boat service.

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Dale Vince, Ecotricity Founder and MD, said: "Our new HQ will be an inspirational green place, to look at and to work in.

"Our vision is for a living, breathing building that practically powers itself. Virtually all of the heating, cooling and lighting will come from natural sources around us, and any more will be provided by what we know works best – a dedicated windmill hopefully nearby to the town.

"Tricorn House has sat derelict and empty at the gateway to Stroud for over ten years. Planning consent for our plans is an important step, bringing us closer to turning this eyesore into an icon and, we hope, a beacon to attract other like-minded organisation to make Stroud the UK's green hotspot."

Ecotricity has chosen local architects David Austin Associates to lead the project. The build is expected to take around two years with construction estimated at £6-8m. The next stage will be working with Stroud District Council on its Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) of the existing building from its current owners.

(CD/GK)