I THOUGHT I would send in a letter to congratulate the authorities on the speed of their progress to improve the Forest of Dean.

Things are moving on a pace at present with the Rural Development Agen-cy (RDA) having so much Coalfield Regeneration money to spend, with Forest Enterprise (Forestry Commission surely?) and the district council benefiting from the developments too. I must say that it is cunning of them to help the mining community here 40 years after the last deep mine closed.

To this end the Forestry Commission (Forest Enterprise surely?) have sold the sites of the former Princess Royal and Northern United colliers to the RDA. At Northern the RDA hope to create a new bypass road for Steam Mills and join the Northern site (seven acres) to connect it to the Cinderford Industrial Estate with industrial and housing developments (over 80 acres), creating what has been named the 'Northern Arc.'

"Where art thou now, oh once fair glaciated valley, just healing from your past industrial wounds?"

Princess Royal at Bream is being developed as I write, but fortunately with "world class" business unit developments that manage a clever resemblance to large, bright metal sheds. Their appearance neatly contrasts with the surrounding countryside and nearby sleepy hamlets. Residents here, undoubtedly anxious to be regenerated, are I'm sure grateful for the opportunity. I am also certain that we will be as appreciative of the developments at Northern United too.

The Forest must be made to conform. It will be made to pass through a process to make it more acceptable to the RDA, a process to make it like other parts of Britain, which it can then resemble. The inconvenience of the Forest such as intimidatingly tranquil or large continuous woodlands, ancient mining customs and free roaming sheep will be further removed or discouraged.

The Forest inhabitants which includes long term residents and also any visitors that may have become entranced by the area (those who like it how it is) will then be helped to forget and become accepting of the inflow of industry, housing and the new residents that the woodland will be moulded to cater for.

The heart of the Forest has not been forgotten in the new Local Plan (approved by your elected members on your behalf). Where you might expect to find beautiful woodland and tranquillity at Cannop, it is now rather imaginatively planned to develop a world class hotel and major leisure facility, to be built and operated by an international company. The locals at Cannop must be overwhelmed by the many cleaning and waiting job opportunities they will be offered. Cannop village has been crying out for 40 years for regeneration and now that millions of pounds of regeneration money is to be spend to the benefit of this deprived community, they must be delighted with the regeneration opportunity and money coming their way.

Luckily for all of us the Forest of Dean District Council's Town and Country Planning Department has the vision and expertise (as we know from their many past projects) to ensure careful use of RDA money. The council will not only enhance the natural environment with a major hotel and leisure facility but also improve upon the woodlands and natural habitats that some difficult people may mistakenly wish to preserve. More trees will be required to gain planning consent, including hardwoods; their pots will add a welcome natural ambience to the entrance and foyer areas of the complex.

I am after all talking about areas of Forest that the RDA and Forest Enterprise (who?) have termed brownfield, contaminated, industrial land upon which the Forestry Commission to the best of their unstinting efforts and world class abilities have been unable to grow trees, so the obvious answer is of course to sell these areas for industrial development, housing and hotels.

The entire Forest of Dean district's 900 or so unemployed will be grateful for the 2,000 new job opportunities that will need to be filled over the next couple of years by Forest Woodland Developments Inc. (stake holders: RDA, Forest Enterprise and District Council). Their developments will also include those proposed at Lightmoor and Parkend sidings woodland sites.

For employment however we must not forget the sites in the Local Plan near towns, and those already available at Lydney, Coleford, Cinderford and Newent Industrial Estates. Then of course there are also the substantial business parks at Stowfield in Lydbrook and Vantage Point, Mitcheldean (previously SCA and Xerox sites). It took a giant leap of creativity to see that we also needed to develop the Forest woodland sites too.

These areas between them will create many thousands of jobs.

After all, people have been saying for years that it's about time new blood was brought in, which the proposed new housing and industrial developments will attract in large numbers. It will bring the local culture into the 21st century.

We are lucky to live somewhere so beautiful and unusual, we must grasp this opportunity to change the Forest to suit the needs of others. Just because locals and visitors alike have enjoyed the Forest woodland as it is for many centuries should now allow us to complacently assume that this will be allowed to continue; we must develop it, otherwise the authorities will lose the opportunity to spend millions of pounds of Coalfield Regeneration money and the Forest could suffer the fate of other beautiful areas such as the Lake and Peak Districts and remain as it is, a naturalised area for ever – be warned. – Peter Wingfield, St White's Road, Cinderford.