A TEESSIDE MP has added his support to a campaign to stop a council building on the last greenfield site in Guisborough.

Ashok Kumar, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, has written to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council to express his concern at its plans for a car park.

The council intends to move some of its offices to Guisborough, and hopes to occupy a site at the Blackett Hutton foundry.

If that falls through, the council's second option is the site of the old highways depot.

Building there would involve bulldozing part of the greenfield Chapel Beck site to make way for car parking.

A campaign has been growing in Guisborough against this proposal, and a public meeting was held between protestors and the council two weeks ago, to discuss residents' concerns.

The Beckside Park Protest group has started a petition, which is thought to contain almost 7,000 signatures of residents angry at the proposals.

Dr Kumar has added his support to the campaign, and has written to Colin Moore, chief executive of the council, to voice his concerns.

In the letter, Dr Kumar says he is "deeply unhappy" at the proposal.

"I have had strong representation from the residents of Guisborough, and I support them in their call for this plan to be shelved," he says. "Such a development would go against all the views that green parkland should be preserved, not built upon."

Ted Amos, chairman of the protest group, said residents were considering their next course of action. This could take the form of a march through the town or a demonstration at the site.

He said: "The group greatly appreciates Ashok Kumar for supporting our campaign."

Councillor David Walsh, leader of the council, said: "We are still deep in negotiations with the owners of Blackett Hutton, and we hope that we will be successful, but at the same time we have made a commitment to bring jobs and investment to Guisborough."