A PROTEST by residents in Oakdale has appeared to give them some light of hope as developers promise to install much-needed street lighting.

For more than a year, residents of the new development in Lydney have been campaigning for adequate street lighting along a path that connects them to Lydney town centre.

However, until recently, their pleas has fallen on deaf ears which in turn led them to hold a candle-lit blackout protest march through the high street where they presented Lydney county councillor Alan Preest with a petition signed by 132 residents.

MCC, who are the landowners, and Kier Homes were served a breach of condition notice by the district council who noted that they hadn't complied with the conditions of their original planning application to implement necessary pedestrian and bus routes at the Oakdale development. Since the notice was issued by the council, MCC and Kier Homes have agreed to start work on the necessary pedestrian and bus routes to the Oakdale development on January 6 with the deadline to complete on February 28.

Cllr Alan Preest said: "This is good news but the district council needs to closely monitor the work they carry out and halt any further building work until the problem is addressed."

Meanwhile, Rachel Reeves who co-founded the Oakdale Links; an association set up in June partially to campaign for basic infrastructure to be provided, said: "This is great news although we have been told that we might not have street lighting until the end of February which means we could still be going without lighting during the darkest days of the winter months.

"We would appreciate if while work is underway they can install temporary street lighting and liaise with community support officers to look at patrolling the path for safety reasons.

"We have had incidents where one resident was knocked over by a push bike on the unlit footpath while it's not uncommon to hear of mothers with small children attempting to get into the town via the A48 bypass as it is lighter. When MCC applied for planning permission one of the conditions was to put in a bus link and street lighting on the path. However, they delayed the bus link as well as the street lighting and didn't comply with the conditions."

A spokesperson for the Forest of Dean District Council said: "Following the service of breach of condition notices the developer has put in place a contract to provide the necessary pedestrian and bus routes to the Oakdale development. We have been advised by the developer that work will commence on January 6 with a completion date of February 28."