A SHEAF of complaints was waved at a council meeting, to prove the strength of community feeling against a plan for West Moors.

East Dorset District Council had proposed to go out to consultation on whether a developer could build on a small patch of land surrounded by houses in Weavers Close in exchange for giving the developer a 32-acre parcel of land south of Woolslope Road for community use.

Cllr Alex Clarke said he had started to receive phone calls, letters and emails from residents objecting to the proposal before the official announcement was made.

Addressing the meeting, which took place yesterday, resident Barry Harris said the Weavers Close land had been a “vital asset” to the community for 30 years.

He said parents would be less keen to send children to play at the southern end of the village, the area itself was prone to flooding, and that future ongoing funding would potentially mean higher council tax bills.

Cllr Pete Holden said the council stood accused in some quarters of contradicting its own policies, as the site had been turned down for housing previously.

And he said documents online about public leisure sites were full of inaccuracies.

Cllr Clarke led a proposal, agreed by the majority, not to pursue the development of the open space at Weavers Close.

Council officials have been told to pursue buying the land off Woolslope Road, and that it be considered for inclusion as public open space in the local development framework, their new local plan.

Cllr Clarke said he also saw no point in going out to further consultation.

“It is my view there is no need to go to the expense of finding out what we already know,” he said, referring to the correspondence and to residents sitting in the council chamber.

Speaking after the meeting, Weavers Close resident Wilson Douglas, who alerted neighbours when he saw officials measuring up, said they were “cautiously optimistic” but the Heron Pine estate residents would remain vigilant.