I FEEL the need to declare my support for Cllr Andrew Gardiner's 'heartfelt appeal' (Review, November 9).

Andrew was responding to your apparent article of praise for the current state of the Cinderford Area Action Plan, at the same time noting the scheme's gathering momentum.

Are there no longer any planners left with even a spark of interest in protecting our priceless national treasures? The logical conclusion to the constant erosion of nature's boundaries and edges must be to one day witness the total absence of those wild places which provide so much to the essence of humanity and provides the inspiration for the human soul to reach out and achieve so much in the fields of poetry, art and music – to mention but a few.

Who wants that?

As a well known local newspaper you are surely aware of the widespread opposition to this action plan which is seemingly running amok like a rogue elephant, so far removed from the original concept of Cinderford town's regeneration.

Opponents of the scheme include two parish councils, Drybrook and Ruardean. Whilst both of these councils support the idea and need for the regeneration of Cinderford town centre, they were outraged that the town was to grab just about all of the available monies coming from the National Coal Board's miners' pension fund, leaving nothing for the rest of the very many communities in the Forest of Dean.

Both councils are aware that the now defunct local coalfield was named the Forest of Dean Coalfield, not the Cinderford Coal Field.

Neither council could agree that the proposed and vastly expensive spine road was at all necessary and would not bring value for money when it came to relieve the Steam Mills traffic, which is rarely, if ever, a significant traffic bottleneck. Neither could it conceivably do anything but add traffic problems to the roads at the centre of Cinderford.

With typical arrogance, the objections of these two grass root councils have been totally ignored, even though, despite Northern United technically being within the boundaries of Cinderford council, the mine was always traditionally and geographically far more associated with the adjacent villages of Ruardean and Drybrook rather than the more distant town of Cinderford.

At a recent meeting of the Gloucestershire Market Towns Forum where Mrs Wendy Jackson proudly extolled the virtues of her "inspirational scheme" (what else was she expected to do?), she was asked by a councillor from the Cotswold area whether the scores of new houses which have now been added to the scheme were truly for local need as against importing families from outside the Forest district.

Wendy's reply was "yes, I think so!"

This reply is either dishonest or pathetically inefficient. In either case, such a reply ill befits such a long-standing and highly paid manager of the plan.

The highly respected Professor Laurie Moseley has produced an abundance of valid evidence showing that true local housing need is very limited and over stated, and that the local planning officers are guilty of massive overkill in recently approving the hundreds of houses throughout the district instead of giving credence to the professor's findings.

Such planning follies over the years have resulted in dramatic changes to the traditions and culture of this once unique area.

Dean Forest Voice, have you lost your voice and direction? Where are you?

– Colin Smith, High Street, Drybrook.