New plans for Five Acres given the green light
Forest of Dean District Council has agreed on revised plans for the regeneration of Five Acres, with new leisure, community and commercial facilities to be developed as part of the Levelling Up the Forest programme.
Cabinet Member for Property and Projects at Forest of Dean District Council, Cllr Sid Phelps said:
“We have been working hard with partners to finalise designs for Five Acres to offer the best possible facilities for the community here in the Forest of Dean, whilst making sure that the project is financially sustainable.
“As part of the review that has taken place, new designs have been incorporated that will provide exciting facilities for all ages and abilities, including soft play areas, a large and modern gym, as well as a full sized 3G pitch and changing rooms.
“We understand that the regeneration of Five Acres is hugely important for the local and wider community in the Forest. When completed it will bring about significant benefits for many residents and return the site to a community asset that people of the Forest can be proud of.
“Having received the unanimous backing of Councillors, I am excited to say that we can now move on to the next stage of the Five Acres redevelopment and begin construction of this fantastic project.”
The Council secured planning permission in February 2024 to develop the first phase of leisure, community and commercial facilities at the Five Acres site as part of the Levelling Up the Forest programme.
Due to rising costs, a project review was carried out by the Council to ensure the redevelopment could proceed with options that are affordable and sustainable, both in terms of operating costs and income potential. To help reduce refurbishment costs and respond to the Climate Emergency, a £200,000 funding application was successfully made to the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS). PSDS funding will support the essential switch away from a gas fired central heating system, to the installation of a new air-source heat pump system, radiators and roofing insulation.
The new design at Five Acres incorporates facilities for a wider range of age groups, including soft play and cafe, power assisted exercise rooms, and large 60-station gym. There will also be a repurposing of the Speedwell Building from the previous classrooms to create new office & community spaces, a cafe and outreach space for Hartpury University’s Aspiration Centre and these will be included in phase one of the project.
Phase two which consists of the 3G artificial pitch and floodlights was part of a separate planning application and funding submission submitted in January 2025 and the Council has been working with the Football Foundation and their design team on this.
With Full Council approval for the latest design concept, detailed design work will follow to help secure the necessary planning and building regulations approvals prior to Phase 1 construction. Subject to Football Foundation funding approval, the design team anticipate that works will begin on 3G pitch construction first this summer with the refurbishment and new build construction for the destination leisure facility to follow on in February 2026.
Full details for the Five Acres site redevelopment, as well as documents including designs, and comments and questions from previous public forum events can be found at the link below – this will continue to be updated as Phase 1 & 2 plans are finalised:
https://www.fdean.gov.uk/planning-and-building/regeneration/five-acres-redevelopment-site/