PARENTS are fighting to save one of Okehampton's last green spaces as a play area for their children before it is turned over to developers.

The large grassed area at the approach to Giblands Park has been used as a play area for many years, but now West Devon Homes has applied for planning permission to build ten houses and four flats on the site.

Although the site has been earmarked for housing development for more than 20 years, parents claim West Devon Borough Council, which owns the land, is disregarding the needs of residents.

Mother-of-two Sandy Bailey, who instigated a petition of 169 names against the proposal, said there were eight or nine cul-de-sacs at Giblands Park and almost 200 children who desperately needed somewhere to play.

The green space was large enough for children to play ball games but needed to be fenced off so it was safe, she said.

'We are lucky because we have a reasonable size garden but there are many people who do not.

'One young boy has already been knocked over because his ball went out onto the road which runs alongside the estate — how much more serious has it got to get before somebody does something?' she said.

Carol MacKenzie, who has a young son, said she understood people had to live somewhere, but the council had to make provision for existing residents.

She said: 'They are feverishly building houses in Okehampton but if there is nowhere for children to play what are they going to do?

'This is such a small building site at Giblands I do not see why these houses cannot not be absorbed in one of the other estates that are going up in the town.'

Mrs MacKenzie said many residents parked on the road because there was not enough private parking provision and more housing would accentuate the problem.

The mix of parked cars, a fast road and children playing all over the place was a dangerous combination, she said.

'What we really need is a proper fenced-off play area with swings and climbing frames and a space where the kids can play football — somewhere they can go off on their own and be safe.

'At the moment, children are playing on the road and coming from all angles and before long there is going to be a serious accident.'

Parents said there were two small green areas further into the estate but no ball games were allowed because of the close proximity to residents. One area adjoined the back road to Belstone and parents felt it was unsafe.

Chief executive of West Devon Homes Stuart Davies said there had to be a balance between the need for a play area and affordable accommodation.

'It is six or seven years since the last affordable housing development took place in Okehampton and there are something like 260 households on the council housing register,' he said.

Planning services manager Jane Green said there was a misunderstanding by some people that the land was a play area, even though planning permission for housing on that site dated back to 1975.

She said there was no policy whereby the planning authority had to provide a certain amount of communal play space per number of houses, but this was being looked at as part of the new local plan process.

The application by West Devon Homes will be discussed at the meeting of West Devon Borough Council's planning committee meeting next Tuesday.

Borough councillor for Okehampton Jayne Hill has given her support to the parents' plight.

'I feel very strongly that this patch of green space should remain exactly that,' she said. 'It is not the ideal place for a play area but it is the only place. Unless we can give some assurance that an alternative space will be provided for the kids I shall be voting against the housing development.'