Anger over council plans to dispose of park land

Plymouth City Council said it had "no significant benefit" of keeping the house and land

Residents in Plymouth have expressed their anger over council plans to dispose an area of land in Central Park.

Plymouth City Council planned to dispose the area of land as part of the proposed sale of Pounds House but about 80 residents have signed a petition against the plans.

It said the move would enable the sale of the house, which had been "empty for years" and cost taxpayers nearly £500,000 over the past five years.

Cllr Chris Penberthy said: "The whole site, including the house, is less than one per cent of the total area of Central Park and given the size of the property and investment needed, it makes sense to have this very small piece of land as part of the package."

Concerns had been raised that the sale would reduce the area of land available to dog walkers, families, nature lovers and community groups.

There were also fears, that it could be harmful to wildlife and be used to build houses.

The land was made up of a mixture of hard surface to the east of the house, shrubbery and a sloping grassed area.

The plans were released this year and the council said it had taken the objections into consideration when making its decision.

'No significant benefit'

In an objection letter Cllr Jeremy Goslin said the park "held a unique place in the life of Plymouth and was created as "a people's park" to provide open space for recreation, wellbeing, and community use.

"Its importance has only grown as the population of Plymouth has increased and as urban green space becomes more scarce and more vital to everyday life."

The council said it had "no significant benefit" of keeping the house and land, which was expected to be sold at auction later in the year.