A NEW college campus for the Forest will be built near Cinderford following a major funding announcement last week.

The new college on the Northern Quarter site was one of three major projects for Gloucestershire as part of a £29.13 million ‘Growth Deal’ for the county through the GFirst Local Enterprise Partnership.

The £2.6 million announced in the Growth Deal for the college is the final element in the £15 million lakeside college project.

The college will move from its current site at Five Acres which the local community wants to see developed to benefit the local area.

There is currently no firm date for the new campus to open but Five Acres will remain in use until it is.

College principal, Matthew Burgess, said: “We are very pleased that the funding has been approved for our new campus in the Northern Quarter.

“We will now be working with our partners, put the final pieces in place so that our contractors can gain access to the site and commence the works programme.

“It has taken many years to get to this point but throughout that time we have remained fully committed to the project.

“We are very grateful to our partners for their support to date and are looking forward to getting

underway with the build.”

The campus beside Steam Mills lake will be the centrepiece of the £100 million Northern Quarter regeneration which will also include a new hotel, plots for development, employment and housing.

The Forest Council has also submitted a bid to the Homes and Communities Agency’s accelerated construction programme for the housing element of the site.

If that is successful the council will then submit a smaller Growth Deal funding request to GFirst.

Leader of the Forest Council, Cllr Patrick Molyneux (Con, Woolaston and Hewelsfield), said: “The Cinderford Northern Quarter project has always been about education-led regeneration.

All partners, including the district council, Gloucestershire County Council, Homes and Communities Agency and Gloucestershire Local Enterprise Partnership will continue to work together to support the delivery of this important regeneration programme.” 

The funding announcement will also lead to increased calls for the Five Acres site to be handed to the local community when it becomes vacant.

West Dean parish councillor Paul Hiett, who chairs the West Dean and Coleford regeneration board, said: “We will be calling for a meeting at the earliest opportunity and will be pressing (for the Five Acres site to be transferred).

“We’ve held off long enough and held our call for a public inquiry in abeyance.

“West Dean is a very pro-active council and we want to get on with it.”

Fellow parish and district councillor Tim Gwilliam added: “There is no reason why it can’t be signed over and we can start looking for grants.”