With so much negative response to the proposed Northern Arc development we believe that our voices as residents of Cinderford should be heard.

All the local press have given a great deal of space to those who would oppose such a scheme for whatever reason.

The funds have been available from the Coalfields Regeneration Fund for some time and we have been told that the time is fast running out to claim this money, as this pot of money will undoubtedly be spent in other depressed areas that have had coal mining in the past.

The Forest of Dean does not have the funds available for this capital undertaking for the urgently needed relief road to Cinderford and its fledgling industrial areas.

The Forest of Dean has never had a purposely designed and built college of further education.

It will not be possible without this deserved Regeneration Fund.

We have heard it all from those who drip, drip on with their worries over animals that fly, crawl, slither and flutter.

Let's be clear these are wild animals, and they being wild, with or without human help, will re-colonise the adjoining area. And new trees will take the place of the few cut down.

The detractors of this development give the impression that these creatures should have priority over the future of your children and grandchildren.

We remember there being no outrage in the press when opencast coal mining was carried out near to the proposed development.

And surprise, surprise all the animals were not harmed. Was it because the majority of those who are making a fuss now were too busy earning a living to have time to care? As were we.

Some say that there is a lost generation of young adults who have not had the opportunities of past generations of full and sustainable employment maybe through the lack of further education.

For those that have, they take the opportunity to move to where the work is and sever their links to the Forest. Who can blame them?

Cinderford desperately needs capital expenditure on upgrading and building new roads to access our town and Steam Mills and the Forest of Dean's first college of further education.

This would improve our future labour force that in turn would attract business to the wider Forest of Dean. We need a brighter future for the Forest.

More education equals more local employment. More consumer choice equals more local employment. More infrastructure equals more local employment. More outdoor leisure businesses equals more local employment.

Or would the future for the Forest be the younger generations moving away and more and more housing becoming holiday homes to take advantage of an area where time stood still?

If this came about the new part-time residents would probably stock up on provisions outside Cinderford due to the lack of consumer choice brought about by an un-competing Midcounties un-cooperative.

Many people that have their views expressed do not live and work in Cinderford but treat it as a nice area to visit and feel they have a right to oppose what those of us who do live and work here.

To those we say you have a right to your views but be aware, they may not always be reflected or welcomed by those whose lives are affected.

We believe that the creation of a holiday complex similar to Center Parcs and the surveying for natural gas through the fracking process would bring work to some of our work-starved areas.

We can be assured that this thought would not go down too well in some quarters.

There are more than enough trees to hug and furry animals to look at in the greater Forest.

As a final note we would say no civil engineer would dream of building a structure over unsafe foundations without carrying out a survey of the substructure of the ground.

If this great project does not go ahead we can only see the further stagnation of the Forest.

There is only enough work, if you can call it work, as an eco warrior no matter how old you are.

– Shirley and Carol, Cinderford, born and bred.