RESIDENTS campaigning to protect ancient pasture land with links to Richmond's medieval history have won the support of councillors.

Last week, about 80 residents descended on a Richmondshire District Council resources committee meeting to raise fears over the possible sale of Westfields, one of three great medieval fields on the outskirts of the town.

The land, along with Jack King's Wood, near Round Howe, and farmland at Sleegill, are all under review as part of the authority's asset management plan and could be sold off.

Nine members of the public spoke about their anxieties over the possible sale of the land.

Residents want the land to be transferred to a charitable trust such as the National Trust or to the town council.

Frank Gibbon, chairman of Richmond Open Spaces Association, said: "The future of public spaces should be determined as soon as possible. We have concerns about private ownership of this land. It must remain in public ownership."

He asked the committee to defer any decision, giving local people the time to set up a charitable trust to manage the lands.

Coun Richard Dunn said he agreed with the public but pointed out that it was not a safe option to leave the land under district council control due to the possibility of a new regional government structure next year.

"If the vote is 'yes' for regional government, then it will be the end of Richmondshire District Council. It's important you realise this," he said.

"Hopefully, we would hope to form our own authority with Hambleton but we could quite possibly find ourselves in a position where there is a completely new authority controlling this area.

"The lands need to be taken out of local authority hands and put into a safe body. It should go to some charitable trust or to the town council so they will look after it as a Richmond issue. If it was sold to one of them, I would be over the moon."

He added that any sale to a charitable body would be at a substantial discount.

Councillors voted to consider disposal of the land and to invite proposals from the town council or a charitable trust created by the community to manage the lands, before a final decision was made. And on Monday, Richmond Town Council agreed to work with the Richmond Open Spaces Association to examine options to safeguard Westfields and the other land, including the establishment of a charitable trust.

An initial meeting will be arranged, including representatives from neighbouring St Martin's parish, in which some of the land lies.