CHILDREN have created a collage to show their opposition to plans to sell off a playing field in Horfield for development.

The Horfield 105th Rainbows unit, which is a precursor to Brownies, uses the field outside its base in Wellington Hill for activities and games. The group's 15 members, aged between five and seven, produced the colourful 4ft by 3ft collage on card at their base at Horfield Parish Church hall.

Rainbows leader Cathryn Leigh, who lives in Horfield, plans to hand the collage into Bristol City Council in a bid to persuade officials to scrap proposals to sell the field, known as Rectory Field or Wellington Hill playing field.

Ms Leigh said: "The Rainbows started by drawing pictures of what people do on the field and wrote 'Don't Build Houses' on it. They have written onto the collage how they use it or what they like about it.

"As a Rainbows group, any time we get the opportunity to get out and use the field, we do. We go out and fly kites and collect things or draw things. It's also used by Brownie groups and football clubs."

Ms Leigh said the field, which is bounded by Church Road, St Leonard's Road, Wellington Hill and Kellaway Avenue, is a much-needed green space in an area with a growing population.

She said: "One of the nice things about it is it's enclosed, which makes it safe for the children."

The playing fields are on a list of green spaces the council has earmarked for sale in the Horfield area, including Dovercourt Road open space and two more sites near Muller Road. Well-used tennis courts and the bowling green near the Wellington Hill playing field could also be removed under the proposals.

The ideas are part of the council's area green space plans, which involve selecting around 60 areas of 'low value' or underused land across the city that could be sold for £90 million to fund improvements in other parks and open spaces.

Members of the 62nd Bristol Scout Group and Horfield Young People's Club have already objected to the potential development of Wellington Hill field.

Consultation on the proposals is due to finish at the end of the month, and in December the council will draw up a list of sites that could be sold off.

The public will then be asked which areas they would like to see improved.

A spokeswoman for Bristol City Council said: "We are now in the next phase of the council's citywide Parks & Green Space Strategy and site allocations document.

"This phase involves a thorough and comprehensive consultation process with local people on our earlier work, which has now identified the different types of green space that currently exists and where, for example new play areas could be created and where parks could be enhanced with improved facilities and what the investment priorities will be for each area. The consultation will also focus on those areas of land, which have been deemed to be of low recreational and amenity value and which could be considered as possible opportunities for land sale and development."