A CONSULTATION exercise on a sell-off of more than 60 open green sites in Bristol has been condemned as a waste of time and money.

Campaigners told the Evening Post that people were not properly consulted and the sites were chosen based on flawed information.

The backlash came as the ruling Liberal Democrats revealed yesterday they were going to save the most contentious sites from the bulldozer.

They include Bushy Park in Windmill Hill, Craydon Road, Stockwood; Kingshead Park, Highridge; Okebourne Road, Brentry; St Anne's Park and Wellington Hill in Horfield.

Geoff Stock, one of the campaigners at Wellington Hill, said: "This is fantastic news for us but I feel sorry for the ones that have not been saved.

"What stood out for me was when I went to a drop-in session about the issue and discovered the council was saying that Wellington Field is only used by dog walkers. Somebody had clearly not done their homework."

Jeana Mizen, who has been fighting to save open space at Salcombe Road in Filwood Park, said: "The police were called when two people were seen sitting in a car by the site.

"It turned out they were carrying out a survey about its use – and it was covered in snow!"

Darren Lewis, one of the campaigners at St Anne's Park, made an inquiry under Freedom of Information legislation to discover the police had had no complaints about anti-social behaviour at the park – yet the council survey said new development would stop the "problem".

Mr Lewis said: "My view is that the consultation was done poorly because they had not done the background research to start with."

Campaigner Rosemarie Rendu-Jefferies, who has been fighting to save open space at Lodge Hill, Hillfields, said: "The first we knew about this was reading it in the Evening Post – we didn't have any leaflets through the door or anything like that.

"The council is quick enough to write to us individually when they want our council tax so I can't see why they couldn't have contacted us about this."

Labour leader Councillor Helen Holland said: "The sorry saga of the mishandled consultation on the Parks and Green Space Strategy has seriously dented Bristolians' trust in the Lib Dems – and in the council.

"For the Lib Dems to claim that this has been a great success because of the number of responses is a nonsense, and shows they really don't understand the strength of feeling stirred up against their plans in local communities.

"Winding residents up is not the best way to engage with people, and the results, which appear to be a mish-mash of accepting officer recommendations on some sites, while giving others protection for apparently political reasons, undermines any confidence that this was an impartial consultation and assessment of the sites."

Tory deputy leader Councillor Peter Abraham branded the consultation process a fiasco. He said the Lib Dems had climbed down because of the campaign in the Evening Post. He said Lib Dem councillors were very worried that this issue would make them lose their majority at the next local elections in May.

Council leader Barbara Janke hit back by saying: "We have had literally thousands of responses to this consultation exercise and we have taken time to evaluate them.

"The Lib Dems do listen to the people and we are prepared to adjust the proposals accordingly."

She said that Lib Dem councillors did not necessarily hold the wards where changes were being made and therefore it was ridiculous to suggest they were for political expediency.

Lib Dem Cabinet Councillor Gary Hopkins, who has been in charge of the issue, said the point of the exercise was to make the city's parks safe and enjoyable places to use and visit. He said in order to achieve this, they had to generate revenue to make improvements.

He said: "We feel so strongly about wanting to get this right, we have even been prepared to override some of the officers' recommendations. The whole point about consultation is to listen to what people have to say, take on board their comments, and make changes as appropriate – that's exactly what we have done."

The consultation process began in July and within a few weeks, several campaign groups had cropped up in various parts of the city to save their open spaces – or part of them – from being sold off.

Petitions were raised, some campaigners marched on Downing Street, councillors were lobbied as they turned up to council meetings, there were picnic protests during the summer and two boys even held their own protest in a tree near their home.

Public meetings saw hundreds of people turn out to save their beloved open spaces. As one Evening Post headline said: "We're not furious, we're livid!"

The issue stirred up one of the biggest citywide outcries for years and for some groups, the fight goes on. The aim was to raise about £25 million but now the figure has been revised down to about £16 million.

But Mr Hopkins said this money would trigger grants from the Government, possible Lottery money and "106" money – payments from developers to mitigate the effects of new housing schemes, shops, office blocks or industrial facilities.

Mr Hopkins said the strategy would not be implemented overnight – it would be spread over the next two decades.

He said: "This process is the start of a renaissance of Bristol's parks and green spaces. The extra income that can be generated by disposing of a very small part of the city's 1,500 hectares of open space makes good sense. It will bring much-needed investment to help transform spaces that have for years been neglected of any sustained funding. The majority of the 'disposals' planned are in fact partial and the object has been to not only raise money for parks in general but also to improve the security design and therefore usability of the individual park."

Hugh Holden, from the Bristol Parks Forum, praised the council officers who carried out the consultation exercise.

"They put in a phenomenal amount of work, often in their own spare time," he said.

The original area green space plans proposed 64 sites, or parts of them, for potential disposal. They involved about 44 hectares (108 acres), which the council says would leave about 97 per cent of accessible green space unaffected.

The officers' report and the ruling cabinet's intentions will be put before the council's quality of life scrutiny and sustainable development and transport scrutiny committees next Wednesday.

The cabinet will meet the following day, Thursday, December 16, at 4pm, to make a decision.