MORE than 250 residents packed out a public meeting to council representatives defend plans to bulldoze a town's last greenfield site.
Monday night's meeting in Guisborough's Sunnyfield House was called after residents formed a protest group to save the site at Chapel Beck and handed a petition to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council. Now, more than 5,000 people have added their names to the petition.
At the meeting, residents heard council leader Councillor David Walsh explain how the authority wanted to move some offices to Guisborough, bringing 260 workers.
He said the council wanted to occupy the site at Blackett Hutton foundry, but its second option was the site of the old highways depot, and building there would mean bulldozing part of the greenfield site for car parking.
Ted Amos, chairman of the Beckside Park Protest Group, said residents were not against the council coming to Guisborough, just against the car park.
Dr Joan Rees, director of economy and environment for the council, said she was confident delicate negotiations with foundry owner William Cook would be successful.
She explained that any trees that were cut down at the beck would be replaced, and added it would be a small amount of space used.
The car park would be pay and display and open to the public.
She said: "It is a very attractive area, we are all very conscious of that. We are sensitive to the issues and we are very conscious of the level of public feeling."
But one resident said the site should remain for the future generations of Guisborough to enjoy.
Another said: "For a long time, the people of Guisborough have been receiving the short end of the stick. We have almost no green land at all, we want it left as it is - you are here to represent us not rule us."
Several members of Guisborough Town Council attended the meeting. Many have already complained they were not consulted properly over the proposal.
Ashok Kumar MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland and foundry owner Mr Cook had both been invited but did not attend.
After the meeting, protestors vowed to carry on the fight to save the open land
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