Fears over future of Bristol's green spaces

Growing anger over the "betrayal" of Filwood Park is fuelling a new row over land for housing at Knowle West.

Campaigners want Bristol City Council to ditch plans to pioneer a project which they fear could swallow up the remainder of the green areas near their homes.

The Government has asked the council to help test-run a project which could secure regeneration schemes.

The publicly funded body, English Partnerships, the council and a private developer would link up in what would be called a "local housing company" (LHC).

The idea is that councils wouldl provide the land and developers would feel more confident about investing in projects.

But the Community in Partnership (CiP) organisation, which represents – among other people and groups – residents in Knowle West, fears the LHC would be the thin end of the wedge.

It could lead to all the other council-owned green space in the area – one of the most deprived in Britain by some measures – being turned over for housing, the CiP warns.

Suspicions have been fuelled by the revelations in theBristol Evening Post earlier this month that the council had sold Filwood Park for £4 million to English Partnerships with few local people knowing anything about it.

The latest row blew up at last night's meeting of the council's quality of life scrutiny commission.

"Now the council wants to hand over the rest of the open space in Knowle West as a free gift to a private company with no guarantees that any money will be reinvested in Knowle West," Ken Jones, on behalf of the CiP, told councillors.

A petition with over 400 names was submitted and other local residents spoke out against the LHC.

But Filwood ward councillor Chris Jackson told the Post last night that he had been assured that local people would be consulted about Filwood Park before the sell-off earlier this year.

He said: "I understand the anger of people who feel the consultation was not rigorous enough, but I was told it would be properly done."

Regeneration director David Bishop assured the councillors at the meeting that Knowle West people would be extensively consulted about plans to give the area – including Filwood Park – a major overhaul.

It is not yet known precisely what is planned for the area, partly because consultation on the whole scheme has yet to take place.

But Mr Jackson said it could include a mix of private and affordable housing, shops, employment – and "quality green spaces".

He told the Bristol Evening Post: "We are not giving away our parks. English Partnerships have said there will be quality green space as part of whatever is done at Filwood Park itself."

"There's no question of selling off all the council-owned green space for housing. So far as I know, what has already been sold off is the full extent of what might happen."