Residents say they are concerned about the loss of green open space ahead of potential planned housing on a former school playing field in Nottingham.
In 2009 Nottingham City Council closed Haywood Secondary School, off Edwards Lane, due to declining pupil numbers at the time.
It had capacity for 850 pupils, but by 2007 only 325 were enrolled, and the school was later closed to save the authority money.
The school’s playing field has since been allocated for housing under the council’s Local Plan as a site suitable for 100 homes and the land is now being advertised on Rightmove as a “residential development opportunity”.
Residents living nearby said they were concerned over the loss of the open space, which is today used by dog walkers and children to play on.
Philip Brown, who has lived in Arnold Road for 35 years, said: “We don’t like it.
“We think it is a space we all used to play football on and the kids use it, dog walkers use it, it has always been there. Now, when we look out the window, we are going to see houses.
“[The council] keeps sending us letters telling us what is going off. We are just concerned – we don’t know what it is going to look like, or where the access is going to be. There will be lorries and builders and all the rest. We are a bit concerned. If we were in a position to we would probably sell up and move.”
David Turner, who has lived in nearby Beckhampton Road for 62 years, said the sloped fields are used recreationally, including by children to sledge down in the winter.
“It is not ideal,” he said. “It has always been a nice open space for people to use but they are building all over the place nowadays. It has been expected for a while.
“I read that is was in Nottingham City Council’s Local Plan, because it was the field for Haywood School, and, it is no longer in existence, they’ve put it on the market.”
Another resident in the area, who asked not to be named, said: “The elevation on the hill is quite large so I am worried about the houses overlooking straight into my bedroom windows, which would be awkward.
“On top of that there are bats that feed on the cherry tree at the end of the garden, and I know bats are protected, so I would be worried about what is going to happen to the local wildlife.”
Approval to dispose of the former Beckhampton Pupil Referral Unit and former Haywood School playing field was granted by the Government’s Department for Education in June 2018.
The site is made up of two fields situated at different elevations, separated by a sloping grass bank.
According to the listing on Rightmove, it is proposed a section of the site would be “retained as open space”, while the rest would be used for family housing.
Any development would require planning permission following a sale.
