PUBLIC access to leisure facilities at a Forest centre could end if the owners cannot reach a deal with the Forest Council.

South Gloucestershire and Stroud (SGS) College, which took over Forest High School in Cinderford last January, is in negotiations with the council after serving notice last May terminating the joint use agreement for the site.

The Forest Council claim SGS has rejected its request for a temporary extension from June to continue public use until they reach a decision.

A spokesperson for the council said: “At this stage the options proposed by SGS all require the council to make substantial investment and these proposals will be considered by the council in April. In the meantime the council remains open to further discussions with SGS.”

SGS College say they are not ‘aware’ of any decision to close the leisure centre to the public.

The leisure centre buildings are owned by SGS and the council shares some of the running costs with the college through a joint use agreement. The issue will be discussed by the district council’s Cabinet at a meeting tomorrow (Thursday).

Cllr Graham Morgan (Lab, Cinderford West) said: “There appears to be problems with access for the public as the 30-year lease is up for renewal in May.

“I know it will be discussed further during a Cabinet meeting tomorrow (Thursday) but a decision will not be made as they’ll put it back to full council.

“SGS doesn’t want to renew access to the public which, as far as I know, will affect the swimming pool and other leisure facilities except the gym.

“The town council will not let this go without a fight. That pool was built by the community for the community – people paid £1 for a brick in the pool – so as to give people in the area a place to swim. So many people use it; there will be a lot of uproar to protect it.”

A spokesman for SGS said: “We have not been made aware that any decision has been made for the leisure centre to close to the public.

“We believe this is an essential asset for Cinderford. As such, it should be run by the council for the benefit of the community and the school has offered the council the opportunity to continue to operate from the site indefinitely.”