A POPULAR green space near Norbreck could be built on after Blackpool councillors voted to keep the site earmarked for new offices.

At a meeting of Blackpool Borough Council on Wednesday, January 16, members threw out a bid by Coun Peter Callow to have land off Warren Drive re-allocated as a public open space, instead of office accommodation, in the borough's 2001-2016 local plan.

Coun Callow said he was "very disappointed" with the vote.

"Do we actually need huge office accommodation at all? There is office accommodation in the town centre that is lying empty. People in Norbreck and at Bispham are very apprehensive about any development."

The Warren Drive land -- adjacent to Norbreck's Phoenix golf driving range -- was once earmarked for school buildings, but this was changed to offices when a school was not needed, he said.

Coun Callow added that half the land already belongs to developers and the other half to the council, with outline planning permission for offices already existing for the whole area.

"Bearing in mind Blackpool Council are under severe financial pressure and they have undertaken £2m cuts in the budget, it may suit their purpose to sell this land," he said.

Labour councillor Roy Lewis, who has special responsibility in the council for regeneration, said he was not aware of any plans to sell the council's land off and there were no immediate plans for office buildings there.

He said Coun Callow was "trying to pre-empt the council" by getting the land designation changed before consultation with the public was finished.

"We are in the midst of a consultation process with the wider Blackpool community which includes inviting views on office development," he said.

He confirmed that the company which owns the other half of the Warren Drive land was granted outline planning permission for office development by the council's Development Control Committee several months ago.

But he said: "It would be premature to anticipate the council's view about the sale of this land -- should we get an offer -- until the consultations are complete."

Coun Lewis said he was not aware of large amounts of office accommodation lying empty in the town centre, but added that he favoured town centre office development which would help to create more long-term career jobs.