OPPONENTS of plans to develop the Northern Quarter around Cinderford have been told they need to come up with alternatives to the site.

Sustainable development campaigner Sir Jonathan Porritt, speaking at a meeting at the Speech House Hotel on Friday night, said other sites to boost the economy of Cinderford and the Forest had to be found.

He said plans for a new college, industrial units, a hotel and housing could be a boon for the area but it shouldn't be on the former colliery site.

The meeting, organised by the Dean Forest Voice and the Dean Natural Alliance, was held as the Homes and Communities Agency announced that ground investigations have revealed there are no issues that would stop the development from safely taking place.

He added: "We know that in the Forest of Dean and Cinderford the need for economic development is critical and local people who stand up and argue passionately for economic development in their community have every right to do so.

"When we can find ways of bringing that kind of development into an area like this it's good.

"But – and it's a big but – is this really the best way of meeting those objectives to improve the economic livelihoods and the social wellbeing of people in this part of Gloucestershire?

"Is it the best possible option on the table to do all that?

"If this really is the best site to achieve that level of economic regeneration in this part of Gloucestershire I don't know what's gone wrong.

"You can only say no intelligently and articulately if you have a better yes up your sleeve – that better yes needs a really big effort."

The meeting was called by pressure groups Dean Forest Voice (DFV) and the Dean Natural Alliance with DFV chairman Phil Saunders echoing the support for an economic boost for the area.

He said: "We want Cinderford to be a healthy, vibrant economy with jobs, education and training that benefits the whole Forest.

"This creates another little community well away from Cinderford itself and how much Cinderford town centre will benefit from that development is very questionable."

Sir Jonathan said that 40 years of "benign neglect" had led to an "extraordinary" 1,300 species thriving in the area.

"Why would we want to stop that process developing? Who knows what that site will look like in another 30 or 40 years?"

He said it would be "odd" if the development went ahead after the successful campaign to prevent the sell-off of England's public forests.

"Wouldn't it be the oddest thing in the world if, here, in what was the epicentre of a brilliant bit of campaigning it would be extraordinary if something we stood for during that campaign, namely not to sell off the public forest estate, was to happen here in the Forest of Dean at the Cinderford Northern Quarter."

Opponents of the development have also started a petition asking Communities Secretary Eric Pickles MP to hold a public inquiry into the project.