Two former miners have pledged their support for the regeneration of Cinderford Northern Quarter in the Forest of Dean, saying it would breathe new life into the town.

87-year-old Les Ruck and 75-year-old Dave Harvey are eager for plans for the proposed Gloucestershire College Forest of Dean campus, a new £8.9m spine road and other residential, leisure and commercial development to get the go-ahead.

The proposed Northern Quarter regeneration aims to unlock more than £100m in investment to redevelop the former coalfield site and bring employment and opportunities to the district. It would create and deliver a vibrant new destination for business, education, lifestyle and homes in a beautiful forest setting. Set to create over 1,000 new jobs, the Northern Quarter would approximately double the number of jobs lost when the mines closed.

Free miner, Dave Harvey, who began his mining career aged 17, is passionate about Cinderford and is an ambassador for the Forest of Dean. He is well known as the subject of the wooden sculpture at the Dean Heritage Centre, which depicts his rescue and narrow escape from a pitfall in 1963.

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He said: "You cannot live in the past, you have to look to the future and this is a project that is desperately needed. There is nothing I want more than to see this happen in my lifetime. After years of battling to bring Cinderford up to scratch, I just hope and pray that it finally goes ahead. I am proud to be a free miner, I am proud to be a Forester and I am proud of my heritage – but that doesn't mean that I oppose change. We need to bring new life to a community and landscape that has given so much for so long. And we can protect its heritage and wildlife at the same time."

Les Ruck followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather to begin mining at the age of 16. He is just as passionate about the plans to regenerate his former workplace.

He said: "It was a very sad day when the mines closed on Christmas Eve 1965. Mining was my whole life and I have many wonderful memories of the community it created. But this regeneration is long overdue. The mines have been closed now for almost 50 years and it is a pity that nothing has happened since. This area is crying out for new life and change; it is such a shame that regeneration hasn't taken place. This development will benefit the whole Forest and generations for years to come. It is about time something was given back to the community."

A detailed planning application for the new college and access road College will be submitted to Forest of Dean District Council by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and Gloucestershire College early this year.

(CD/JP)