THE principal of Gloucestershire College, Dr Greg Smith, has given his response to last week's Review front page story on rumours circulating about the future of the Forest campus and Lakers School.

Among the main points (full text in page 12) Dr Smith says that Lakers School owns its own land and has no current plans to sell it or move.

And he says that after rescuing the Royal Forest of Dean College from the brink of insolvency, newly-formed Gloucestershire College did sell the campus to the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) but retains an option to buy the land back at any time in the next five years if the college wants to develop the site itself.

"The Board, having considered a number of alternatives, has chosen to explore moving to the Northern Quarter as its preferred option or alternatively staying and developing the Coleford campus as its second option," he states.

"It is extremely important to understand that we are currently only exploring options, have no finances in place and are many years away from achieving a solution to our inherited, ageing and 'unfit-for-purpose' campus.

"Let us consider the facts. At present, we don't know whether or not the Area Action Plan (AAP) for the Northern Quarter will be approved or rejected. If it is rejected out of hand, the option to relocate disappears. If the AAP is approved there is then the small matter of designing a road, getting planning permission and then building the road, which I anticipate will take at least two years to complete.

"During this time the College would need to undertake a detailed feasibility study to establish space and curriculum requirements and likely build costs, a substantial piece of work, before even starting to attempt to raise finance and political support for the project."

He said issues around the Leisure Centre, swimming pool and rugby pitches will only need to be considered if the college decides to move.

"If we do, it will be a number of years away. At that point the HCA, the site owners, the District Council, Lakers School and ourselves will then be able to consult with stakeholders to resolve any problems resulting from our move, if it ever transpires."

And he concludes: "I am currently much more concerned with creating an outstanding college in Coleford, which changes lives and provides pathways to Higher Education and employment and of which our students and the community can be proud."

•The full text of Dr Smith's statement in this week's Review.