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"We've fought for twelve years to save this field - not just for us but for future generations. We've been ignored and that's a travesty."

Robin Mclaren, Edinburgh

Get involved

When he came to power, Tony Blair promised to halt the sell-off of Britain's playing fields. Robin Mclaren says he's failed.

"I think the government has let us down," he says. "I would give them a red card!"

Robin is fighting to save the Meggetland playing field in Edinburgh.

The council wants to sell part of the field to build 170 flats overlooking the Union Canal.

In return, they say, £6 million pounds will be invested in rugby, football, cricket and all-weather pitches and changing rooms.

A public enquiry has approved the sell-off, but Robin and others from the Keep Meggetland Green campaign have vowed to fight on.

"This is far from democracy," he says. "We have to make sure that communities have much more of a say in the decision making process."

The Keep Meggetland Green campaign now plans to put up a candidate to stand for the Scottish parliament.

And Robin's case is not the only one.

Since laws to protect playing fields were introduced in 1998, local education authorities have submitted 201 applications to sell sports grounds. Only six have been refused.

The National Playing Fields Association says the situation is as bad as it has ever been. And it blames the disposal of playing fields for increasing levels of ill health and obesity among children.

Click here to watch the Your Politics report

What you can do:

You can contact Robin Mclaren and the other campaigners in Scotland by emailing them at:
robin.mclaren@knowedge.com

Campaigners fighting playing field sell-offs can get useful information from the National Playing Fields Association:
http://www.npfa.co.uk/

Another organisation working on this issue is the Central Council of Physical Recreation:
http://www.ccpr.org.uk

What can be done to save Playing Fields? Are there enough recreation grounds near you? Send us your comments and we will publish a selection on the website.

A well-organised community protest is taking place in Cardiff against proposals to redevelop a large 60 acre reservoir and surrounding open space. The Reservoir Action Group has 1500 paid up members, and growing, fighting a planning application by the American owned company Western Power Distribution. This has huge implications on open space, recreation, amenity, nature conservation, sailing, fishing and walking grounds. The enormous potential of this area within one of Cardiff's green river valleys will be sacrificed for the building of 346 houses and flats. Perhaps BBC News would like to do a follow up programme on this. The camera shots across the water to the slopes of Caerphilly Mountain will be stunning!
D C Davies, South Wales

It's not only playing fields that are disappearing

A J Murrills, Hants

It's not only playing fields that are disappearing under concrete and tarmac! Liberal Democrat controlled Eastleigh Borough Council (Hants) is currently pushing through proposals to build on 62.5% of all the town's allotments - that's several hundred plots and includes one large and successful site that is fully occupied.

These green open spaces which are both recreational and productive are being treated as 'brownfield' sites, with little regard for the plot-holders, some of whom have worked their plots for 30 years and more. Some replacement land has been identified but both suggested sites are right up against motorways with all the attendant noise and pollution. Unlike the playing field situation, one can't unfortunately imagine the £30M proceeds from the land sale being spent on allotment provision!

Yours etc,
A J Murrills, Chandler's Ford, Hants

The Manor ward in Aldershot has over recent years lost not one but 4 schools and playing fields to developers. The most recent lies in a conservation area and yet the council has granted permission for development of twice the density of that in the surrounding area. Having spent hundreds of hours on research, I must say that the authorities will do anything to push such developments through. the existing planning laws and regulations, even the findings of Public Enquiries are simply not applied and the public interest is ignored altogether. Public accountability, transparency in the planning process or indeed local democracy - you might just get it if you can afford the approx.£ 50,000 for a Judicial Review. Otherwise forget it!
Johanna Lance, England

I was amazed at the one sided and factually wildly incorrect approach your item on the development of Meggetland took in last night's news. The use of a derelict piece of ground for housing enables a first class sporting facility to be created where currently exists an unsanitary and rat infested quagmire of pitches and a pre First World War changing facility which would be a disgrace in the third world. This will benefit thousands of children, who of course have no voice, in the years to come for the perceived loss of a minor visual amenity for a selfish and small minded group of a few hundred adults. There is no excuse for the BBC to present such a picture, especially in a news format, not least because it ignores the detailed findings of the independent enquiry set up to look at the proposal.
Norrie Nicoll, UK

The Government should put legislation in place to stop this erosion of our green open land.

Ali Woods, Plymouth

It was with great interest that I watched your news item on saving sports fields in the UK. At present in Plymouth we are trying desperately to save a sports field from developers. It is on the site of Manadon College which was the old Navel Engineering College. It was sold off and planning permission was granted for 300 houses, with a mixture of green belt and housing on the site it has been advertised as a premier site in Plymouth.

This piece of land has a 106 covenant on it to stop building and still the developers try, they first tried to put a Youth Detention Centre through, this was thrown out and the planning permission for the houses appeared. Plymouth City Council is backing us completely and we are now half way through a public enquiry.

The Government should put legislation in place to stop this erosion of our green open land. The cities are turning into grey dark places with no sanctuary left. It is strange that in London the Governments home the parks are wonderful places for that never have this threat over them. Is it out of sight out of mind?
Ali Woods, Plymouth

My mother spent the last few years campaigning to save out local recreation ground. The ground is used for the Funfair, Circus, football pitches, boys club, car boot sales, and most frequently by dog walkers. All things for the local community. The local council, Hillingdon Borough(Labour run), was trying to sell the ground very cheaply to a housing association - one that the local Labour councillor was a New Business Director of. My mother amongst other residents helped raise a petition to save the recreation ground, and they did save it. She was voted the residents association president following the success. However a year or so down the line from then, she has had her time in that role, and when she learnt that the council would try to sell the land again, she had enough and resigned as she couldn't face the rigmarole again.
Chris Jenkins, England

Another supermarket is not required, but more green space is.

Mrs Pat McPhail, Scotland

We have a pleasant green space near us - Woodhead Park, Kirkintilloch, Glasgow - which is used for football and for walking dogs. There are many attractive trees and an area of formal gardens.

East Dunbartonshire Council are proposing to sell a sizeable part of this park to Tesco to build a supermarket. They sent questionnaires to the local residents and most people (according to published figures) said they opposed this move. The council then modified the amount of ground they are selling slightly and now this plan appears to be going ahead despite local opposition. An action group has been formed by residents and letters appear every week in the local paper. This is one of the few green spaces in the centre of our town, and space is very badly needed for sport, leisure, play facilities for younger children and a meeting place for outdoor public gatherings. Another supermarket is not required, but more green space is. Please HELP!
Mrs Pat McPhail, Scotland

Our Sports field is under threat of confiscation by Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council for industrial development, which we are at present resisting. Our land has been used as a sports field for almost 100 years and we wish to continue to use it as such. Can you help us?
Wilkes Family, England

The only way education departments can afford to get better facilities is to sell land for development.

James Anton, Scotland

In an ideal world it would be wonderful if school sports facilities could be upgraded without worries about the costs. However, the harsh economic reality is that the money is not always available to do that. The only way education departments can afford to get better facilities is to have the compromise of selling part of the land for development. I have a child who goes to a school which uses the Meggetland sports facilities. The changing facilities at Meggetland are so poor the children have to change at the school and get bussed to the ground in their sports kit. I for one am more than happy that part of the grounds, which are not suitable for sports, are sold to enable the facilities to be upgraded to 21st century standard. I just wonder if Mr McLaren has children who go to schools which use this facility?
James Anton, Scotland

I am fortunate to live by Pype Hayes Park in Erdington, Birmingham. Last year flyers were circulated to homeowners in the area to advise them of the council's plans to sell off a chunk of the park for a private housing development. A substantial petition was raised but recently the issue has raised its ugly head again and, judging by the lack of sympathy and support I have received from local counsellors, it would not surprise me if it is already a 'fait accomplit'! They reason that they need this site to carry out the redevelopment of the adjacent Pitts Farm Estate, a notorious 'council' estate which bears evidence of vast neglect and vandalism.

The council say that the revenue from the new development will be ploughed back into improvements to the park. Apart from an excellent children's play area, the park, with its formerly wonderful ornamental gardens and beautiful house, has been sadly neglected for a number of years, which leaves me to wonder what happened to the revenue from the annual bonfire display and several fairs and why this has not already been used to the park's benefit.

I could go on about how cross I am that park land should be allowed to be encroached upon. It is after all one of the few free recreation areas left for our children.
Lorraine Moorhouse, England

Here in Whitton (West London) we have formed ourselves in the Friends of Heathfield to defend our recreation ground from the greedy grasp of our local council, Richmond-upon-Thames, who is trying to remove our park from Metropolitan Open Land status without, of course, the knowledge of the local residents.
M Williams, London

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