RESIDENTS who fought to save a piece of land from developers are putting together proposals to make it into a park.

Plans to build on the Bulgarth, off Station Road in old Billingham, were rejected by councillors at the beginning of the month.

The site, which is used for the town's carnival and flower show, has been used as public leisure land since 1775.

It is also essential to local businesses, which use it as parking, and for residents' children, who play there.

Carnival organisers fought to save the Bulgarth when Tees Valley Housing put in a plan to build ten elderly people's bungalows on it.

Now, the organisers want to see the land given back to the people of Billingham and made into a proper park.

Roger Black, carnival organiser and member of Billingham Regeneration Partnership, said yesterday: "The land belongs to the council, but we want to see it given back to the public. We discovered that the Bulgarth has been used as playing fields since 1775, and we want it to stay that way.

"The council should make a pledge not to allow any more developments on the site, and we are campaigning for it to do this."

Mr Black said that residents would then provide cash from funding sources to make part of the land into a car park, and create a proper children's playing area.

He said: "Billingham is left behind in everything.

"It is about time the people in this town started saying 'this is what we want and this is how we want it'.

"People feel passionately about preserving the Bulgarth and the councillors on the planning committee realised that when they came and did a site visit."

A spokeswoman for Stockton Borough Council said discussions were ongoing about the Bulgarth within the council.

She said: "No decision has yet been made as to the future of this piece of land."

At the meeting when planning permission was refused, Councillor Steven Smailes, leader of the Conservatives on Stockton council, said that to build on the site would "rip the heart out of the local community".