EFFORTS to restart the stalled Northern Quarter project in Cinderford are facing more obstacles after highways experts said that traffic forecasts contain “fundamental errors”.

The Forest of Dean District Council is looking to give itself permission to change instructions so the spine road through the site has to be completed between the A4136 Gloucester road and the Forest Vale industrial estate before other development takes place.

Consultants for the council have said that if the planning permission is not changed to allow access to development plots, the Northern Quarter project will remain at a standstill.

But the issue has now been complicated further by the request from Gloucestershire Highways that the application be deferred until the traffic modelling is “corrected”.

Meanwhile, the temperature of the debate over the multi-million pound regeneration of part of the former coalfield looks set to rise after it emerged that the Chair and vice of a Forest Council sub-committee investigating the project produced a report declaring the scheme “not viable”.

A letter to Forest planners from Gloucestershire Highways states: “There are fundamental errors in the latest traffic modelling of the proposals and to this end, the application should be deferred until the corrected information is forthcoming, so that a considered and objective response can be offered prior to any decisions being made which would affect the delivery of the spine road as required by the conditions on the full planning permission.”

Highways officials say they have “severe concerns” that if the majority of land is developed before the spine road is completed that future financial decisions could mean it was never finished, including the junction with the A4136.

They say the latest traffic flow data – for 2020 – shows increases of more than 100 vehicles compared with previous estimates with, for example 493 morning peak right turns out of Steam Mills Road onto the Gloucester road against an estimate of 369.

A check of the traffic assessment also showed that the flows for the A4151 Steam Mills Road / B4227 Broadmoor Road junction and the A4151 northbound left turn have been incorrectly ‘swapped’ for both morning and afternoon peak hour.

The officials also point to other errors which they say must be corrected before the application can proceed.

While officials work to sort technical issues, a political row is brewing following revelations at a meeting of the Forest Council’s strategic overview and scrutiny committee.

Giving an update on the work of the Cinderford Northern Quarter task group, Chair Cllr Nicky Packer said she and vice-chair Cllr Jackie Fraser had “decided on an unusual way forward” by issuing a report and “controversially we included our own conclusion that the scheme is not viable”.

The Green councillor for Newnham said although all other views were invited for inclusion in the report, “we immediately received protests from some members of the task group about this unusual approach”.

She said she and Cllr Fraser, who is now Green councillor for Mitcheldean, Ruardean and Drybrook had produced the report because they were frustrated by the slow progress of the inquiry over the last year because of Covid restrictions.

But Cllr Di Martin (Lab, Cinderford East) said if Cllr Packer had already concluded the scheme was not viable there should be an “independent” head for the task group and Cllr Philip Burford (Ind,Hartpury) said the draft report “could only damage the reputation of the council”.

He said: “The key thing about scrutiny reports is that they have to be written from a neutral perspective, be balanced and unbiased and the draft we have seen is none of those.”

But the production of the report was welcomed by Independent councillors for Mitcheldean, Ruardean and Drybrook Andrew Gardiner and Thom Forester.

Cllr Forester said: “As I understand the Chair and vice are still seeking views on it and the input will be considered and brought back to this committee – it’s still a live document as far as I’m concerned.”

The draft will be discussed by the task group next Wednesday (July 14) a report will be presented to a future meeting of the scrutiny committee following more evidence gathering.

Cllr Packer said: “It would be ideal if this could take place in public to ensure it is a fair and unbiased assessment.”