THE FOREST Council is looking to remove a road block which has stalled the £100 million Northern Quarter regeneration project.

As the planning permission currently stands, the spine road between the Forest Vale industrial estate and the A4136 Gloucester Road has to be finished before other development can take place.

The council is now hoping to open up development opportunities by changing the planning permission to allow for a phased completion of the road.

Project consultants say that without the changes, the Northern Quarter is “at a standstill”.

The new campus for Gloucestershire College and the first section of the spine road to serve it opened in 2018 but the second phase of the 111-acre (45-hectares) project has not been started.

The original plan was to complete the site between the northern edge of Cinderford and Steam Mills in two phases with completion of the spine road and development of housing, industrial unit and leisure use, including a hotel.

It is now proposed to split the second phase into two with the first being to extend the road to allow access to the development plots.

The plots for the hotel and some of the sites for housing, offices, general industrial and distribution uses would be brought forward.

The final phase would see the road and all other development completed.

A report by the Leeds-based consultabts states: “...the Council has received numerous investment enquiries for the development plots in Phase Two. 

“However, in its current guise, the existing planning consent does not enable development of any of the remaining plots until the spine road is completed in its entirety. 

“By amending the phasing of the development...it would allow the Council to bring forward development plots in a phased approach that is more suitable in the economic climate, providing the opportunity to make further progress with delivering the scheme.”

A spokesperson for the district council said the changes would make earlier investment possible.

“Following on from the development of the first phase of the spine road and the new Gloucestershire College campus, the focus is to continue the delivery of the Northern Quarter project,”

“The recent planning submissions if permitted, will allow for earlier investment opportunities at the site, by varying the phases of the spine road delivery.

“It is and has always been the intention to complete the whole of the spine road at the Cinderford Northern Quarter.

“Funding will continue to be sought to complete any future phases.”