Controversial plans to sell recreational land in Solihull to finance a new sports centre have been given the go-ahead.
At a meeting last night, planning permission was granted by Solihull Council for the development of a four-acre site opposite Monkspath Hall Road car park.
Residents had argued the site was part of Tudor Grange Park, but their protests were ignored as applications submitted by the council to its planning committee were approved.
The land will now be sold and the money will contribute to the building of a £16 million sports complex near the site of the old Tudor Grange Sports Centre. The sale will also finance developments in the park, which may include a new amphitheatre, ornamental gardens and outdoor tennis facilities.
The council said it had no choice but to sell the land after it identified a £7 million funding gap with its lease payments on the new sports centre.
Situated between the existing Tudor Grange Sports Centre and the run-down Norman Green Sports Centre, plans for the new centre include four badminton courts, a dance studio, a health and fitness centre, and three swimming pools.
One of the swimming pools would feature a floor, which could be lowered for disabled people. Divers would also be able to practice in a high-tech pool.
Before the planning applications were approved, Liberal Democrat MP Lorely Burt said the council could have found other ways to raise the cash.
She said: "Central Government has placed on Solihull Council a requirement to reduce expenditure by two per cent per annum for the next three years.
"Chief executive Katherine Kerswell has said that she can achieve better savings than this. If Ms Kerswell can find the money needed from savings, plus two per cent, why do we need to lose this green open space?"
She said over the years, 14,000 residents living nearby had registered their objection to the selling of the land.
