CAMPAIGNERS are questioning a ruling which threw out their legal challenge to save prized open land in Timperley from development.

A sub-committee made up of five councillors rejected a bid for Aimson Road field in Timperley to be classified as a town green.

But now the campaigners are protesting against the decision because they reckon the hearing studied a map which failed to mark out the boundaries in the area.

Residents had claimed it should be classed as a town green as it had been used for recreational purposes by locals for more than 20 years.

But the councillors endorsed a report by barrister Rhodri Price Lewis which recommended that the town bid green was rejected without a public hearing. The barrister believed the bid had failed to identify a "distinct and identifiable community whose inhabitants have for 20 years used this land, so as to satisfy the requirement of a 'locality' in the statutory definition."

The report said the 54 supporters of the application were drawn from areas including Timperley, Hale, Brooklands, Wythenshawe and Altrincham.

Building work on a multi-million pound housing development on the land was brought to a halt six months ago after veteran campaigner Reg Temple put in his bid for town green status. He has submitted the same claim for nearby Booths Field, which is also earmarked for development.

Brian Bingham, a Timperley Civic Society member who presented the case for the town green bid to Mr Price Lewis, said he was concerned a map considered by the barrister and councillors failed to mark out the ward boundaries: "The objectors provided maps which did not even identify Village ward as a separate entity from Timperley ward.

"No wonder the barrister claimed we had not proved locality!

"Had he been aware of this his decision may have been different."

He hit out at the composition of the sub-committee that made the decision. He told SAM it was made up of three Labour and two Conservative councillors, with four from the Urmston area and one from Sale.

"We could not win with that proportion of representation. We were 'stitched up' most undemocratically."

Reg - who is also battling for Altrincham and Sale to break away from Trafford Council, - hit out at the decision: "I am very disappointed and disgusted at the reasons for the rejection. We were trying to save the land for the good of Timperley and future generations.

"We are not going to save any open spaces left in South Trafford.

"Once again councillors from the north have ruled the south as they did over Tescos in Altrincham."

A spokesman for David Wilson Estates, which is developing the land, says: "We will be implementing our planning permission."

A council spokesman says: "The town green sub-group of the council's policy and resources committee decided to reject the application to register Aimson Road field as a town or village green, after considering the opinion of an independent adviser."

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