THE FOREST'S great car parks battle was hotting up this week – with legal opinion being sought which could kill off the prospect of charges.

Businessman Clive Bath believes most of Coleford's main car park was developed by Gateways and himself on the understanding that it would always be used to provide free parking.

He also owns a third of the Lords Hill car park and told the Review: "The council would find it very difficult to charge for parking in Lydney and Cinderford but not in Coleford. "

Traders from across the Forest are to meet in Lydney next week to decide on what action to take.

Plans include publishing the names, addresses and telephone numbers of councillors and asking members of the public opposed to charges to ring them up.

They also plan to put up posters giving councillors' telephone numbers.

Members of the Lydney protest group told the Review that many councillors appeared to agree that charges would have a severe impact on the fragile economies of shops and businesses when they met to discuss the issue.

"However, our optimism was misplaced. Chairman Frank Williams urged members to think of the perilous state of the council finances," said protest leader Derek Biddle.

"When Bruce Hogan proposed the vote that car parking charges be pursued, the Labour councillors came into line like lambs and the motion was not thrown out."

Council members at last week's planning and leisure services committee meeting – itself delayed for a week because of the petrol crisis – instead decided to defer a decision, but Mr Biddle's group regards this as "an attempt to spare their blushes from the electorate".

The issue came up after a policy and resources committee in May identified parking as a potential source of revenue to set against council taxes.

It has sparked widespread protests from traders and the public, many of them attending the meeting.

In all 13 car parks in Coleford, Lydney, Newent, Mitcheldean and Cinderford were identified as possible sites for charging 20p for up to an hour, 50p for 1-3 hours and £1 for more than 3 hours, with perhaps a special £170 a year rate for traders.

Now the council is to wait for a new report before making a final decision.