CITY centre residents have started a fight against the sell-off of what they say is one of the few green spaces in their area.

Members of the new Walmgate Community Association were joined by Guildhall ward councillors on Sunday afternoon, to show their opposition to the sale of land near Walmgate Bar.

The city council is planning to sell the green space between Walmgate Bar and Willow House as part of a deal to sell the former care home buildings, but the new group says that threatens scarce open space in their neighbourhood.

Guildhall ward councillor Denise Craghill said: "This land has been un-fenced and functioned as open space for local residents for a long time. As more and more developments are built in the urban areas the council should look at the bigger picture and protect green open space for inner city residents."

Empiric Plc has offered the council £2.8 million for the land - with the money to help fund better older people's accommodation in the city - and the developers want to build a 126 bed student accommodation block on the site. The deal is due to be agreed on Thursday, and council papers show that Empiric’s proposal will include "some development" on the land fronting Walmgate.

Guildhall councillor James Flinders added: "Local residents are very concerned about losing one of the few green spaces in the Walmgate area. If this land is sold and then built on, it could negatively affect views of Walmgate Bar. We should be protecting and improving green spaces in the city centre, rather than selling them off."

At a packed inaugural meeting for the new community association on Thursday residents agreed the open space makes an important contribution to the local area and should be protected.

However, council leader David Carr said the land in question is not "open public space" but part of the former care home.

The money generated by the sale will be used to provide more modern older people’s accommodation in York, he added.