LYDNEY councillor Alan Preest has added his voice to the calls for Homes England to take another look at their decision to put a halt to the Five Acres project.

Homes England put in a request, as required, for James Brokenshire, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, to rubber stamp the sale of Five Acres for a pound to the Forest of Dean District Council.

This was agreed last October at a full district council meeting but, after months of silence from Homes England, a non-government body, they withdrew their request at the start of this month, much to the fury of district authority leader Cllr Tim Gwilliam.

A Homes England spokesman has said the reason is that they are ‘careful with public money and undertake thorough due diligence’.

A number of years ago, Homes England bought the Five Acres site, of the former Gloucestershire College’s campus stood, for £2.5 million and expected to recoup this outlay by building houses on it.

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