CONCERNS about the future of a park in Badger Farm were raised at full Council.

The David Kickabout was recently brought at auction by an undisclosed private purchaser, raising fears it may have been bought by a housing developer.

Cllr Jan Warwick, who represents Badger Farm and Oliver's Battery, asked Cllr Russell Gordon-Smith, cabinet member for built environment, how many open spaces in the district are privately owned and what guarantees exist that they will never be built upon.

Cllr Gordon-Smith said such spaces were protected by policy DM5 in the Local Plan, adding: "Only by demonstrating public benefit can that be overturned. Anyone can put in a planning application and it will just be kicked into the long grass by this particular policy (DM5)."

"Development may be exceptionally be permitted in these areas where it is demonstrated that the benefit to the community clearly outweighs the harm caused by the loss of all or part of the facility and options for developing elsewhere have been explored. However, instances where this would apply will be rare and there are few recent examples of open space being developed in this way.”

He said the city council does not keep a specific record of how many open spaces across the district are in private ownership but it is undertaking a review of 126 historical open space transfers, to establish ownership. "Once this is completed we will decide what further action by the council may be required in relation to individual sites."

Residents in Badger Farm had assumed the David Kickabout was owned by the city council after the estate was built in the 1980s. The transfer was never made and the land was sold when the owner Davis Development folded.