A RALLY from Five Acres crossroads to Coleford Clocktower on Saturday attracted more than 400 supporters for the FANS – Five Acres Not for Sale – campaign.

In the town centre speakers who included mayor Sue Merrikin, Ruardean councillor Andrew Gardiner and FANS chairman Berry Hill RFC manager Jamie Elsmore put over the simple message that they wanted an end to plans to move the current Five Acres Gloucestershire College campus to Cinderford's Northern Quarter.

This, they claim, will uproot a major centre of Forest activities, round which a whole community has been built, to an entirely different location, at the same time removing leisure and other facilities on which that community relied.

Ahead of the planned college move the Five Acres site has actually been sold to the

Homes and Communities Agency, although Glou­cestershire College has retained the option to buy it back.

The size of Saturday's turnout surprised everyone, not least the FANS committee; it also drew the following comments from Forest MP Mark Harper and Councillort Patrick Molyneaux.

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Cllr Molyneux: 'Look at whole picture'

"I was deeply impressed by the passion and commitment I saw and heard when I attended a public meeting at Berry Hill Rugby Club recently.

"I took away two key messages: first, that local people feel that the council has not engaged with the community and, second, the vast majority of those attending are opposed to the idea that the Gloucestershire College (Gloscol) might relocate its campus." I completely understand that residents will be concerned about what might happen if the college was to relocate from the Five Acres site and that their concern is based on a lack of clear information.

"But it is important to note that the Board of Governors at Gloscol has not yet made any decision about the future location of the College. Indeed the College is currently working on a feasibility study and when complete the Governors – not the District Council – will make the final decision.

"I would like to put this into some sort of context. Last year the council approved its plan, for the whole district – this is known as the Core Strategy. Based on extensive consultation this plan sets out what the council thinks will be the best way for the district to grow over the next 15 years. It explains, in broad terms, what can be developed and where. A key growth area is Lydney – but the plan covers the entire district including Coleford, Newent, the rural villages, as well as the education-led regeneration in the Cinderford area.

"The key thing here is that it is a district-wide plan and when considering any development or regeneration project with­in the plan, it is the effects on, and the benefits to the entire district that are of paramount importance.

"As the Chairman at the Berry Hill meeting (Jamie Elsmore) said so eloquently 'regeneration of one part of the district to the detriment of another is not what the community wants,' and it is certainly not what the District Council wants either. And that is why I attended the meeting and that is why the District Council is busy looking and planning for whatever decision the college might take.

"At this time another key project for the council is our leisure strategy. We have some difficult financial targets to meet and the way we are looking to meet those targets is not by reducing the service but by investing in and improving our leisure facilities around the district. One of these facilities is at the Five Acres site and this will be affected by whatever decision the college make. So we need to plan ahead.

"If the college does move then it is vitally important that we, the District Council, the community, the schools, the rugby club and all the other partners work together to ensure that this becomes a real opportunity for the Five Acres site, for Coleford and indeed for the District as a whole, an opportunity to ensure that the Five Acres site becomes a real asset to the community as a whole.

"If we all work together then we can ensure that the Forest of Dean has a state of the art education facility in the heart of the Forest. A facility we can all be proud of, a facility that our kids will be proud to be part of and one that will give them the start in life they all deserve. We can help make changes that will benefit both Lakers and the primary school and we can help improve and enhance the facilities for the rugby club and the provision of leisure facilities for the community.

"I attended the meeting at Berry Hill, not because we haven't engaged with the community, but because we are right at the start of the process that will secure the future of the Five Acres Site.

"As district councillors we need to make some tough decisions in deciding what is best for the district as a whole. We stand on the verge of attracting millions of pounds of public and private investment into the district. This will not only create much needed local employment but is a huge opportunity to regenerate the whole district, to all our benefit.

"As Jamie said at the meeting, it is about the 'regeneration of the entire district'. It is vital that we do it as a community, all working together for the benefit of all. I understand that we at the District Council have a crucial role in engaging with and working with the community to ensure that we achieve the best outcomes and I am in no doubt that the way we will succeed is by engaging fully with the community."

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MP: 'Status quo not an option'

FOREST MP Mark Harper said: "This weekend, hundreds of people marched through Coleford using their democratic right to protest and be heard regarding the future of the Five Acres site.

"Given the strong feelings on this, I wanted to respond to people's concerns.

"My focus is ensuring that students from the Forest of Dean can study in the Forest, with the best possible facilities available to them. To do this change is needed – the status quo is not an option.

"The current college buildings are no longer fit for purpose. They are too large for the needs of the college, cost too much to run and most importantly do not meet the needs of a twenty-first century classroom. Changes need to be made, though the details are a matter for Gloucestershire College and the District Council who are considering all the options, and are listening to all of the views that are being raised.

"While some are quick to condemn Gloucestershire College, we should remember that without their help two years ago, our college would have closed, and Foresters would now have to commute to Gloucester for further education courses. This shows they are committed to providing education in the Forest.

"Ultimately, Gloucestershire College – as a private company – will make the decision to retain, rebuild, move or close the Royal Forest of Dean campus. Given this, I encourage people to work with, and not against, Gloucestershire College to ensure we keep a viable, modern college campus in the Forest of Dean, fit for purpose and able to teach Foresters for many years to come."