RESIDENTS have met with their MP to discuss a campaign to save a green space in the city.

Acomb Park, the site of the former Manor School fields, has been identified by City of York Council in the latest draft of the city’s Local Plan, as a potential site for the Homes and Communities Agency to build up to 100 new houses.

Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central, joined local councillor Stuart Barnes and local residents at the site on Saturday, where they spent time walking the fields and finding out more about what the public want from the area - and what they do not want.

Ms Maskell said: “The park is vital for the area. Acomb has the lowest area of green space in the city, so it’s crucial there are places for the children to play. It wasn’t just a place to walk dogs, but for people to gather and talk and meet. Acomb is in desperate need of green space and it’s a park, so it should be kept a park, or developed to meet people's needs.”

Ms Maskell said the community’s voice must be heard on future development, especially following the recent controversy over the decision to demolish the Carlton Tavern pub in Acomb.

She said: "You can’t just keep congesting the city with more and more developments. We need green lungs in our city and this could help address environmental concerns. The council needs to put the community before politics.

“We’re seeing a series of decisions being made by the council ignoring what people want. Carlton Tavern had no proper consultation and the council have to talk to the public and not ignore them. I think the public are fed up, voting with their feet and saying ‘it’s our city, listen to what the community wants’.”

Today is the last day of consultation on the draft Local Plan - a 300-page document which includes maps and plans for the next 16 years of housing and development in York, and Ms Maskell said it was vital people had their say on it.

She added: “We need people to come and sign up to the Friends Of Acomb Park group on Facebook, join the campaign - the more people who join us, the better chance of having a say - but we need the community to respond to the Local Plan consultation.”

To have your say on the Local Plan, go to york.gov.uk/localplan before midnight tonight.