People in Exeter campaigning to save a city centre green space have been given eight weeks to finalise their bid.
The city council’s planning committee has deferred a decision on a proposal to build retirement homes on the old Bramdean School playing field off Homefield Road in Heavitree.
Now people living in the area will have two months to complete their pitch to make it an asset of community value, which would mean they have the right to bid to buy it if they can raise the money they need.
Developer McCarthy And Stone Retirement Lifestyles wants to build a three-storey block of apartments on the old playing field. The development would also include car parking, an electrical substation and landscaped grounds.
Bramdean School closed in April 2020, citing financial difficulties and falling pupil numbers. The playing field is not open to the public.
More than 130 objections were submitted to the plans, with just four people writing in support.
Cllr Lucy Haigh (Ind, Heavitree) told the committee there was no evidence of a demand for such accommodation in the area, and some other retirement homes were ‘empty and unsellable’.
Local campaigner Charlotte Corden said the community was ready to step in and preserve the field as a permanent green space if given the opportunity.
“It deserves a use that honours its beauty,” she said.
The community, she said, was seeking to have the field designated as an asset of community value, and had the funds to do so.
“This plan is in total contradiction of the Exeter Plan which seeks to protect green infrastructure,” she said. “The building is far too large and entirely out of keeping.
“And there is no clear justification for additional retirement accommodation in Heavitree.”
But a report by council officers said the public benefits of the proposal outweighed the ‘less than substantial’ harm caused to the Heavitree Conservation Area. It would provide 36 age-restricted homes in a ‘highly-sustainable’ location to help meet local housing needs.
Cllr Marina Asvashin (Lab, Priory) called for the decision to be deferred, saying: “It’s a shame to lose a green space that a community could possibly take over and run.”
Cllr Gemma Rolstone (Lab, Topsham) added: “Given that the community has pulled together to get to a point where they are in a position to make an offer, deferring for eight weeks isn’t a big deal.
“As we are here to represent our residents, we should give them that opportunity.”
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