A DESPERATE plea to shelve plans to transform Morecambe's old market site into a housing estate is set to be lodged by members of the Poulton Residents Committee. Members are expected to lobby the council to defer the sale of the land to property developers for six months so they can raise enough money to buy it and retain the land as open space. But under current proposals the land has been earmarked to build 40 houses with playing and parking areas. Part of the land, which includes the former Poulton Hall site, will also be salvaged to unearth Roman and Saxon remains.

Cllr Patricia Heath, who is backing the committee, said: "Between 30 to 40 young people play every night on the old market site so it shows that we desperately need an open space in Poulton where people can enjoy a kickabout. The council's plans are too intensive and they will never be able to accommodate all the houses, play areas as well as parking spaces etc."

The residents are currently in consultation with the Millennium Greens committee in a bid to lobby for funds to help transform the land into an open space. They will also be appealing for charitable donations to buy the land from the council.

Mike Ellis of the Poulton Residents Committee said: "At the moment we're working to make the committee a charitable trust so we will be eligible for charity grants."

Cllr Heath added: "Residents in Cllr Henig's ward at Fairfield were successful in asking the council to halt plans to allow them to buy time to raise funds to buy a similar plot of land.

"We're very confident that if the council will defer the sale of the land to property developers we will be able to save it. Put it this way we're not going to give up."

Cllr Terrie Metcalfe of Poulton told the Citizen: "Of course in an ideal world I would love to keep the land kept as an open space but we don't live in an ideal world. We have allocated a play area within the council plans."

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