Anger at sale of Bristol park

Residents have accused the city council of secrecy and rule breaking over the £4 million sale of a public park.

People in Knowle West say they were not properly informed or consulted over the sale of Filwood Park, an 11-acre landscaped park that has been used by generations of families, to public housing provider English Partnerships.

The city council says the sale was well-advertised, with notices on lampposts in the area, classified advertisements and public meetings.

But people whose homes in Creswicke Road back onto the park say they did not receive letters about the controversial move.

Annie Walker, a member of the Carmel Christian Centre in Knowle West, said the sale to English Partnerships, a government quango, was done "without proper consultation and in contravention of the council's Parks and Green Spaces Strategy, which requires an Area Green Space Plan to be produced".

She said: "The sale was hidden in an appendix to a report on capital receipts, thereby concealing it from public scrutiny.

"Filwood remains one of the most deprived inner-city neighbourhoods in the country."

Mrs Walker said that apart from children's clubs run by the Carmel Christian Centre there were "no decent play facilities" for an area with a high number of children.

She said the decision flew in the face of comments made by Councillor Rosalie Walker, the cabinet member for Culture and Healthy Communities, who had described parks as "the jewel in our crown".

Mary Smith, one of the founders of Knowle West Against Drugs, said: "I think local residents have been bamboozled on this. The head of regeneration at the council said there were no plans for Filwood Park but I have seen a picture which shows the park with a road going through it.

"I think there are secret plans to build there. It's appalling."

Residents told the Bristol Evening Post yesterday the Filwood Park and neighbouring playing fields, which themselves were partly built on 11 years ago, had been left to the people of Knowle by Lady Smyth whose family once owned the Ashton Court estate and other land.

Residents have organised a petition calling for an adventure playground in Filwood Park and will hand it to the council next week.

Broadway Butchers in Filwood Broadway has collected 112 names for the petition.

Butcher David Hilton, 63, said: "They wouldn't get away with it anywhere else in Bristol."

Bristol City Council spokeswoman Helen Hewitt said: "The decision to sell the park was taken in late 2007 – when public notices were put up locally, in the Evening Post and a number of public meetings were held.

"English Partnerships has not submitted any plans to develop this site. The money from the sale of land will be used for regeneration projects in the area."

A spokeswoman for English Partnerships said: "A consultant will be appointed in mid November to undertake a masterplanning exercise with Bristol City Council and there will be extensive consultation as part of that process in the first half of next year.

"All our developments include open space."

In 1997 the city council wanted to sell Filwood playing fields, next to the park, to English Partnerships, which wanted to build houses but met fierce local opposition.

In the end, part of the open space in Filwood was used to build South Bristol Business Park but the playing fields were transferred to the National Playing Fields Association under a 99-year lease.

Filwood ward councillor Jeff Lovell said he knew about the park sale and had asked what would be done with funds from the sale.

"I was told they were going to buy back leases on properties in Filwood Broadway and that project has been very successful.

"Five or six leases have been bought back and work on the regeneration of Filwood Broadway will start in November.

"There will be new shops, new houses, whatever residents want."