Dunkertons Cider reveals expansion plans
He barely has to blink and it becomes headline news. Superdry founder and Gloucestershire businessman Julian Dunkerton's popular food and drink destination reveals more expansion plans.
Dear readers,
I hope you’ve had a good week.
A shorter edition today. We did have planned the first in what will become our Thinkery series, articles which take a look at issues and challenges facing Gloucestershire, and stories about the county through the eyes of those in the know.
All of which will gradually lead up to what we hope will become a series of roundtable events when such matters are discussed live (more here).
But we has decided to hold that article until Monday instead after a short story came in we think will be of interest to many. Mainly because almost any story featuring Julian Dunkerton seems to be a talking point.
Don’t ignore the comments in the Safran story in our Briefing Notes either. That’s another bite-sized feel-good story, which links to the full story in our Reports & Deals channel, sponsored by Randall & Payne.
Have a great weekend.
Best regards,
Andrew.
Andrew Merrell (editor).
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Briefing notes…
☀️ Controversial plans to build a huge solar farm next to Gloucester and Sharpness canal have sparked hundreds of objections. A proposal to install photovoltaic panels on more than 117 acres of farmland in open countryside in the Lower Severn Valley has been submitted to Stroud District Council. PACE Tribute Energy Limited wants permission to develop the site which is around 540 yards south of the village of Epney and east of Saul. More here.
📈 The biggest firm by turnover in Gloucestershire has reported a “strong” operating and financial performance for its first half of 2025. Cotswold-based FTSE firm St James’s Place has taken on board £10.5 billion of funds to manage in that period, up from £8.5 billion in the same period in 2024. There has been, said the business, “continued growth in client numbers and advisor headcount”. More here.
🛫 Major Gloucestershire employer and aerospace legend Safran has said it is confident for the future. The firm, which has a major landing gear manufacturing plant at Staverton, between Gloucester and Cheltenham, said the sector was in a “positive” place and that it was raising its expectations for the full year to come. The firm achieved a record operating margin for its first six months of the year. More here.
💷 Rural businesses across Tewkesbury borough are being encouraged to apply for capital grants under the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) business grant scheme supported by the UK government’s Shared Prosperity Fund. With up to £60,000 in total funding available for 2025-26, eligible businesses can apply for grants ranging from £3,000 to £20,000 to help strengthen the local rural economy and enhance productivity. More here.
👏🏼 Tewkesbury-based Cleaner Safer Group (CSG) - parent company to independent not-for-profit organisations, HETAS and Woodsure, has appointed a new chief executive officer. Barry Cope has joined the firm, taking the reins from Bruce Allen, who has been in the role at HETAS since 2006, and at Woodsure since 2017. Bruce will remain with the organisations until he retires in September, working with Barry for a smooth transition period. More here.
Ideas for the weekend…
Friday: Gloucester Rythm and Blues Festival continues apace all weekend. Pubs hosting the music include Dick Whittington’s, The Drunken Duck, England's Glory, The Fountain Inn, The Hop Kettle The Pelican, The Thirsty Pine, The Turks Head and Warehouse 4. More here.
A Magical Evening of Opera at Painswick Rococo Garden.The group Wild Arts is behind this one. Arrive at 6.15pm and enjoy the gardens. Performance from 7pm tp 9pm. More here.
Saturday: KingsFest - Charlton Kings CC Beer and Cider Festival 2025. From 2pm onwards. More here.
The Barn Theatre, Cirencester. FRIENDS the musical parody of the classic hit US TV series. Two showings - at 2.30pm and 7.30pm. More here.
Sunday: Cleeve Common Trust is offering the opportunity for anyone who has limited mobility to make use of a ‘tramper’ so they can enjoy Cleeve Common. For ‘Tramper’, think electric buggy, but capable of tackling off-road. More here.
Dunkertons Cider reveals expansion plans
He barely has to blink and it becomes headline news. Superdry founder and Gloucestershire businessman Julian Dunkerton's popular food and drink destination reveals more expansion plans.
Food and drink destination Dunkerton Park, a site of seemingly continual investment, has revealed more plans, expected to drive more business and create up to six new jobs.
This time it’s all about the expansion of its ever-popular Dunkertons Cider, also eponymously named after the site’s owner, Superdry founder and serial entrepreneur Julian Dunkerton.
His cider business, started by his father and stepmother (Ivor and Susie Dunkerton) in Herefordshire and which he moved lock, stock and barrel to the Charlton Kings’ site near Cheltenham in 2016, has plans for a new elevated seating area beside the River Chelt.
The cidery, complete with shop and other on-site food and drink businesses, including La Boulangerie, Waghornes and Jai Ho, an Indian barbecue restaurant, is also a popular bar and venue.
And it’s also home to the headquarters of fashion label Holland Cooper, founded and owned by businesswoman, Jade Holland Cooper (who is married to the aforementioned Gloucestershire entrepreneur).
Dunkerton’s Cider is seeking partly retrospective permission for the ‘terraced area’, which if built will sit between the river.
The application to Cheltenham Borough Council is being handled by SF Planning, which also has its headquarters in Cheltenham and worked with Dunkerton’s No. 131 The Promenade boutique hotel and bar on its recent high-profile plans to install a new covered outdoor seating area.
The cidery building was designed by another Cheltenham firm - RRA Architects.
This new terraced area would be built in timber on a partly cantilevered structure with steel support beams beneath, and a timber balustrade, according to the plans.
A structural engineer has been involved in the design to ensure the proposal will be fit for purpose, consultants working on the scheme say.
There is no suggestion of a desire to increase opening times as a result. The public consultation on the plans started yesterday (July 31) and runs until August 21.
People can view and comment on the plans by searching for application 25/01202/FUL on Cheltenham Borough Council’s online planning portal.
Special thanks to Carmelo Garcia, local democracy reporter for Gloucestershire. carmelo.garcia@reachplc.com
*The Raikes Journal is the only independent news outlet in Gloucestershire approved to use the copy of the BBC local government reporting service. Why? Only only independent, credible journalistically-led platforms that meet the BBC’s high standards win that permission.