WHILE I have no wish to get into any arguments with my county council colleague Cllr Alan Preest of Lydney, I must put to rights some of the misconception that we seem to be hearing with regard to the Cinderford Northern Quarter development.

Let us all be under no illusion that any development that takes place in Cinderford will in turn benefit the whole of the Forest of Dean and this includes Lydney – you only have to visit factories on the Forest Vale Industrial Estate in Cinderford to see just how many people from across the Forest go to work down there.

This was much the same when buses came across the Forest from Lydney bringing workers to Xerox.

We must stop being parochial. The aim of all of us should be to get work into the Forest of Dean, it does not matter if these jobs are in Lydney Coleford or Cinderford, they should be welcomed because they all go towards stopping the ridiculous traffic congestion at Highnam roundabout each morning.

What must be realised is that the reason the Forest of Dean District Council is putting funding towards the scheme, is to demonstrate support for the vast amount of money being put in from the HCA from the Coalfield Fund.

And yes, Alan is right the county council would never have funded the completion of the Forest Vale spine road, the reason being the far greater priority is the A417 Air Balloon and Nettleton Bottom where much more traffic congestion exists, and this does not include Lydney at this present time.

Instead of knocking any schemes put forward for Lydney I would welcome them as a Forest of Dean councillor, because it would benefit all of us.

We must stop being parochial in this Forest, we are not big enough in the greater scheme of things to be apart.

The Forest Vale estate has grown very well. In fact you could say it has become a victim of its own success: for every lorry that goes to it or from it has to thunder through old roads and villages like Steam Mills and so we desperately need a new road in.

Just in case anyone is under any illusion, Cinderford, according to county information is still very much a deprived area and this is the prime reason for such coalfield investment.

Let us make one thing abundantly clear: coalfield money has to be spent on coalfield sites, and most of the Forest pits were in the Cinderford valley.

Cinderford Northern Quarter is no vanity project. It is in fact a once-in-a-lifetime chance for the Forest of Dean to have just a tiny portion of what other former coalfield areas in this country have received.

The only thing that prevents us obtaining this betterment for our Forest is ourselves, for there will not be any coalfield money on offer again.

– Cllr Graham Morgan (Lab), Cinderford.