A mum brought her children to a council meeting as residents pleaded with councillors to protect community leisure facilities for future generations.
Catherine Pickett was among the many supporters to pack the public gallery as councillors met to decide whether or not to buy a leisure centre and a college campus for a £1.
And she said she was speaking on behalf of her two daughters when she asked councillors to take the first step towards transforming the site into a state of the art leisure facility in the middle of the Forest of Dean.
She said: "I am reading this question on behalf of my daughter who wants to ask, is this council prepared to lose this opportunity to lose the land at Five Acres for my generation’s sporting use?"
But even though councillors voted unanimously to support the proposal, the current Five Acres leisure centre and swimming pool will still have to close on October 28.
During a bad-tempered meeting councillors backed a report which recommended buying the Fives Acres site from Homes England for £1 and investing around £150,000 into a feasibility study examining the future of the site.
There was applause from the packed gallery in the Coleford HQ as councillors voted to fund the feasibility study which will examine the leadership’s vision of creating a new multi-million pound, destination leisure and culture hub.
Early plans for the hub, which will serve the Forest of Dean and beyond, also includes a 60-bed hotel with a drive-through restaurant.
Councillor Gethyn Davies (Con, Tidenham) raised concerns that it could mean the councillors taking on financial liabilities such a rates bill of £172,000 a year and demolition fees of over £1.25 million.
But Cabinet member Richard Leppington (UKIP, Bream) said he had spoken to the valuation office and they could possibly waive the business rates bill if there was a clear intention of flattening the buildings on the site.
And councillors who were hesitant about the investment were told that if the figures do not stack up when the report comes out, the site could easily be marketed for sale.
"The Five Acres project is a once in a lifetime opportunity to shape the future of the district," he said.
Jamie Elsemore, chairman of Five Acres Is Not For Sale, said there is widespread support for the plan to turn the Five Acres site into a destination leisure facility but raised concerns that the council may struggle to build a new pool if the old one closes.
He was worried about the implications of a report from Sports England which said the pools at Newent, Cinderford and Lydney are close enough for Coleford schools to use.
"One of the concerns is that Sport England say the distance between Berry Hill Primary to the nearest swimming pool after Five Acres closes is less than seven miles, which is acceptable," he said.
"I do not think that is realistic bearing in mind the small window of opportunity to use the facilities in the evening.
"You cannot expect young children to train at 10pm. They have to do it between 5pm and 7pm. You can&apos;t expect them all the children to go to one facility in that small window."
Cabinet member Paul Hiett (Forest First, Bream) told him he agreed with the sentiment but confirmed it was advice given by Sports England.
He later added that it would be up to the £150,000 study to look into the costs and viability of the various options, but first councillors had to agree to buy it.
"Let&apos;s do this for the Forest"
Later in the meeting cabinet member Roger James (Forest First, Coleford East) said it was not feasible to keep the current leisure centre open because they might have to send the bulldozers in to demolish the site.
“Until such time you have purchased the site, you can do nothing,” he warned councillors faced with the decision to buy it for a one pound or not.
After a bitter debate over how much work had gone into the plans, it ended up as an unanimous decision when the Conservative group unexpectedly supported the recommendation put forward by the ruling rainbow alliance.
Councillor Leppington urged all parties to unite behind the project do something radical for the Forest of Dean to boost the Forest of Dean economy.
“When this Cabinet took office we set ourselves two main priorities, to get decent jobs and decent housing for our people. Five Acres is part of that vision.
“I concede it could present a financial risk to this authority but I believe we have quality of officers and members that can and will deliver."
"When this project is delivered it will send out a message that the Forest if open for business. Let&apos;s do this for the people of Berry Hill, let&apos;s do this for the Forest."