SUPPORTERS of Ashton Gardens are preparing for a bank holiday battle against Fylde Borough Council.

The SOAG pressure group - trying to stop the planned sale of part of the St Annes park - will be in St Annes Square this weekend, urging people to sign objection letters.

The group also has thousands of leaflets and ready-made objection letters ready for distribution throughout the borough.

Chairman, Fred Moor, said: "Major heritage organisations like the Garden History Society, English Heritage, and indeed the Heritage Lottery Fund itself, have all sought to persuade the council not to sell this land for development, as indeed have the consultants the council employed to prepare the lottery bid.

"Locally the Civic Society has added its voice to the call, and literally thousands of St Annes residents oppose the sale of any of the gardens. We will use all legal means to prevent our gardens being sold."

SOAG's executive committee drew up its new offensive after the council said it still plans to sell part of the Grade II park, off Clifton Drive South. The council says it is the only way it can raise enough funds to attract 'matched funding' from the Heritage Lottery Fund for a £2 million revamp of the rest of the park.

But SOAG is becoming increasingly resistant to the council. Last week, it rejected a council plan to move the tumbledown former Ashton Institute off its current site - in the corner of the park the council wants to sell - to be revamped and stand elsewhere in Ashton Gardens.

"It can be saved where it is," Mr Moor said.

Fylde Council will consider all letters of objection, and these should be sent to the Corporate Property Office at St Annes town hall before noon on September 10.

SOAG wants anyone who writes an objection letter to send a copy to the council's auditors at The Audit Commission, Aspinall Close, Middlebrook, Horwich, Bolton, BL6 6QQ.

But Cllr John Coombes, Fylde Borough Council leader, said: "Don't just write in if you're against the sale, write in if you're for it.

"The authority can't afford to meet the £500,000 we need to meet without the sale of that piece of land.

"You could set up a fund, but it would take years and years and years to meet the target."

He added: "They can campaign in the square and do what they want but the bottom line is that if Ashton Institute stays where it is and that land is not disposed of the council will have to withdraw the bid."

But he admitted that the council was not 100 per cent certain that the bid would be successful, even if the land was sold. If that was the case, the money for the land would go towards resiting the institute building, he said.

Cllr Coombes added that the council had made the Audit Commission fully aware of the planned sale.

Supporters of Ashton Gardens (SOAG) can be contacted via Fred Moor on 01253 728047.