Campaigners trying to save Elms Field are calling for a public debate on how the council took over the popular park.
Members of the Keep Elms Field Green campaign say a recent petition has shown how much people value the town centre space.
More than 1,500 people signed a petition in just a few weeks in January calling for Wokingham Borough Council not to build 123 homes, shops, a 95-bed hotel and cinema on the site.
Many of the comments refer to how well used the play area and surrounding green space is.
Campaigners say this flies in the face of the council’s assertion in 2007 that the area was not being used as public open space.
Elms Field was bequeathed to Wokingham by the Ellison family and bought by the council in 1956, with conveyancing documents stating it would be used for “public open space purposes”.
In July 2007, however, Wokingham Borough Council appropriated Elms Field after councillors decided the land was “no longer required for the purpose for which it was held”.
Mel Horton, one of the administrators of the campaign group, said: “When the council appropriated the site they did everything right legally, but we don’t think it was right morally.
“They said people were not using the space, but the recent petition is packed full of people saying just how much they use this treasured space.
“People have shown Elms Field is still highly valued and used and they want it refurbished and maintained, not built on.
“We think that proves they had no grounds to appropriate it and were not justified in doing so.”
The recent petition will be considered by planning officers who are currently deciding on the plans to build on Elms Field, which also include a supermarket, likely to be run by budget chain Aldi.
The plans are expected to be debated at the council’s next planning committee meeting at the end of this month.
But Keep Elms Field Green has now launched another petition which it is hoped will trigger a debate at the council on the issue of the appropriation.
Mrs Horton said: “We had hoped to use the earlier petition to trigger a debate but because the planning process is open this is not allowed by the council.
“So we are opening another petition which will definitely trigger a council debate on the appropriation decision.”
She thanked all those who signed the earlier petition and asked them not to give up their fight to stop the development, which has now been going on for many years.
The petition wording is “We, the undersigned, request that Wokingham Borough Council revoke their decision to appropriate the land at Elms Field and maintain the current open parkland amenity space for the use of all residents of Wokingham now and in the future.”
To see the petition, go to www.change.org or look at the Keep Elms Field Green page on Facebook.
