May I again use your good offices to reply to the letter by Mr John French published in your Letters column on November 18. I do apologise if my letter you published (November 4) implied that I was criticising the Hoof campaign, although I do feel that it was in part media led and politically influenced. What I was endeavouring to point out, unsuccessfully it seems, was that the perceived danger from the outside bogie man should not obscure the real, bigger danger, from the local bogie man flushed with loads of taxpayers' money.

It also seems a little hypocritical of Hoof,  turning a blind eye to this very great danger.

I did criticise the Forestry Commission as they are attempting to sell a large area of our Forest, when their mandate is to protect the Forest. We will not end with just fences but whole areas filled with millions of  bricks and tons upon tons of concrete and tarmac.

The past industries were mainly mineral-based and the Forest quickly regenerates itself covering over these areas,  but this lasting, enormous invasion of the Forest of Dean is not receiving anything like the press coverage the Hoof campaign enjoyed.

Why?

Is it that many of the people engaged in so-called regeneration projects are from the landowners and the press? Perhaps they would let us know?

If the Forestry commission is allowed to sell off or alter the status in areas of the forest like the 200 acres proposed, a precedent will be set, and before long we will have no forest left for the likes of Hoof to bother campaigning for.

I also mentioned the disgraceful attaching of a college to this plan to give it more credibility.

Do we need to despoil another vast area of the Forest just to build a new college when we already have an excellent educational facility at Five Acres where all types of education are catered for on a large established, open site, with many public leisure facilities, like swimming pool, running tracks, playing fields and tennis courts.

You will lose all this just to build goodness know's how many more 100s of unneeded  houses.

So all I am saying is for Forest people to think for themselves, because it seems all the press are doing is playing down this massive, damaging, change.

– I.G Ellis, Lower Milkwall.