A MAJOR marketing exercise to sell Cinderford to the world can get under way now the Government has given the go-ahead for the council's vision for the town.

Government inspector Nigel Hayne has approved the district's Core Strategy and Cinderford Area Action Plan.

The major documents outline how the Forest will shape up over the next 15 years.

They include plans for another 5,162 homes in the Dean and the £14.75 million regeneration of Cinderford's Northern Quarter.

The Core Strategy is the main planning policy document and outlines where the new homes and businesses will be created between now and 2026.

But the Cinderford AAP, a blueprint for an area to the north-west of the town, was considered the real test.

Regeneration chiefs had pinned all their hopes on the inspector approving plans to create a new spine road, an education hub, homes and businesses and feared rejection could mean missing out on millions of pounds of regeneration cash.

See this week's Forester for full story