Forest of Dean to bid for share of Government cash pot

The Forest of Dean’s council is set to bid for a share of the Government’s £675million cash pot to inject life into Cinderford’s high street.

A report drafted by Forest of Dean District Council reveals how it intends to bid for the Government’s Future High Streets Fund scheme on behalf of Cinderford Town Council.

The scheme means local authorities across the country can apply for grants, with £55million available to restore historic buildings at risk of falling into disrepair.

Residents and schools in the town were asked what they wanted to change in the high street before it became a ghost town.

They came up with a £2.3million proposal, with priorities including:

• Buying and refurbishing Cinderford Methodist Church
• Pedestrianising the Market Street side of The Triangle
• Buying the BT Exchange Site to create new car parking
• Refurbish and re-purpose the site of the former HSBC bank, which closed in 2017.

The district council did consider bidding for Lydney for the fund, but found that Cinderford scored higher on a matrix.

A council document to be presented to the authority’s cabinet said: “An assessment process has been used to evaluate the two expressions of interest received to date. This process confirms that Cinderford Town Council achieves a score of 20 points and Lydney Town Council achieves a score of 18 points.

“On this basis, it is recommended that Cinderford Town Council is approved as the town centre to go forward as the Forest of Dean District Council’s submission to round 1 of the Future High Streets Fund.”

Senior councillors are likely to approve the bid on March 14, from 5:30pm.