Angry Shirehampton residents turned out in force at a public meeting to tell council officials to "keep their hands off" open spaces in the area.

About 70 local campaigners went to last night's meeting at Shirehampton Public Hall, in Station Road, to hear from officials from the city council's team in charge of implementing the Parks and Green Spaces strategy.

They are concerned that two open areas, the land at Lamplighters and Daisy Field, may be identified by the council as of low value.

Under the council's Parks and Green Spaces strategy, open space designated as low value will be sold off and developed, with the intention of enhancing remaining open space.

The Lamplighters is next to the River Avon behind Nibley Road and Daisy Field is between the Portway and the railway line to Avonmouth, off Station Road.

Shirehampton residents at the meeting, set up by new Avonmouth councillor Siobhan Kennedy-Hall and campaigner Charlotte Leslie, took the opportunity to voice their views on the council's plans, which are due to go to public consultation next year.

Colin Pople, 62, of Nibley Road, has lived in Shirehampton all his life.

He told the meeting: "I am here to speak in memory of my late father, city councillor and former Lord Mayor, Victor Pople. Before he got involved, the Lamplighters was a tip. When he became a councillor he had the land flattened and grassed over so it could be used by people. He worked tirelessly to get this done, and now the council might get rid of it. We have seen that this land gets flooded and flooding would be a huge issue for any building work – they simply cannot build there."

Mr Pople told the Evening Post: "The council obviously don't know the people of Shirehampton. They are going to have a fight on their hands. It is not low-value land – so many people use it. They should keep their hands off our land."

Another resident, who did not wish to be named, said in the meeting: "You would not even have been looking at this land if the council had done its job properly and maintained it."

Ken Jewell, 54, of Nibley Road, said: "This land is special. It is a riverside park. We have wildlife there – herons, owls, hawks, and I have even seen mink. They would be lost if you got rid of this land."

Emma Cummings, 31, also of Nibley Road, said: "Rather than taking this land away, the council should be putting money into it to make it better."

The panel of council officials told the meeting that they would go away and look at the issues raised.

Steve Moore said: "It is clear you are all very passionate about this land. No decision has been made yet on what will happen to it."

He thanked everyone for attending, and said: "This has been a really valuable session. We are grateful for you turning up – it is always a much bigger problem for us when the public does not turn up to have their say."

Ms Kennedy-Hall said: "Questions have been answered but I still feel that the residents feel that they are not being given the whole truth, however transparent the council officials say they are. People here have already had so many resources taken away – including the swimming pool and the leisure centre."