ANGRY Windle residents fear they could lose "the last piece of open space in the area" following the news that a housing company want to build 29 new houses there.

The recreational land off Rainford Road is owned by St Helens Parish Church and has been used in the past for numerous parish events including Whit Walks, field days, various sports activities and other recreational use.

However, its use has dwindled in recent years and, although the parish bowling team and scouts group will continue to use the land, the church has instructed its trustees to sell it.

Chairman of the trustees, Reg Ashburner, told the Star: "The offer from Alfred McAlpine, originally for 32 houses on two thirds of the land but now reduced to 29, was considered the ideal choice. The remaining land would also be developed but for the continued use of the parish with a children's play area, a new scouts building and laid-out parking for the scouts group and bowlers."

An initial application was turned down but was upheld by St Helens Council's planning inspector following a joint appeal by the trustees and Alfred McAlpine. A bid by the Windle Residents Action Group to re-register the area as a 'village green', which would mean no development on the land, was turned down by the council following a public inquiry last month.

Action group secretary, Keith Webster, of Queens Drive, said: "We could now lose the last piece of open space land in Windle, which is very sad, and the residents feel a mixture of anger, frustration and disbelief. The church's claims that this land is not used is rubbish -- people walk their dogs here, play sports and plenty of other things. There is also a restrictive covenant on the land which forbids the land being used for anything other than religious purposes so I can't understand why the Charity Commission has even allowed the trust's bid to go ahead. We feel we lost our bid to make the land a village green on a technicality regarding locality and I was very disheartened with the total lack of support from St Helens Council, the Government's Department of Environment and particularly, from our own parish councillors in Windle."

A new planning proposal for 29 houses on the land has now been re-submitted to the council from Alfred McAlpine.

Reg Ashburner added: "We have always acted in strict accordance with the Charity Commission's guidelines and will continue to do so. Part of the sale proceeds will be used to pay Pilkington to release the covenant on the land and the rest has to be used, by law, for specific church and trust purposes."