PROTESTORS fighting council plans to sell off car parks and open spaces in their home town will today hand over a 3,000-name petition.

Residents and traders in Richmond collected the signatures over the Easter weekend. They believe that selling the Station Road and York Square car parks for housing, and moving Richmondshire District Council to Colburn would damage the town's economy.

The move to Colburn would also see the sale of the council's five offices in Richmond, as well as about 20 other pieces of land in and around the town.

The council say their existing offices are outdated and the sales are needed to fund the building of a new £4m headquarters.

One council meeting to discuss the issue has already been called off on health and safety grounds after 200 people turned up at Swale House to oppose the plans.

It will now take place at 6.30pm tonight at the larger venue of Richmond School's Middle Hall.

Protestor Emma Gruffydd, 33, said she had been surprised by the strength of feeling over the issue.

"Everybody will be at the meeting tonight," she said. "People have even offered to drive minibuses so elderly people living in sheltered housing, who wouldn't be able to get there otherwise, can go along.

"It will become a ghost town if there is nowhere to park."

Town and district councillor Stuart Parsons said a coach driver had told him that he and other drivers would stop coming to Richmond if the car parks are sold, as they would have nowhere to park.

"That driver is bringing 50 people a time with a minimum average spend of £5," he said. "Over summer, we get between five and ten coaches a day - the economic impact of losing the coaches will be huge."

He has also issued a rallying cry to parish councils to join Richmond Town Council in informal talks about protecting open spaces. He fears that if the sale of the property in Richmond does not raise enough money, the district council may look at selling assets elsewhere.

A spokesman for the district council said they had provided designated coach parking spaces at Nuns Close, so that coaches did not have to use York Square car park.

He said that the council believed the proposed sales would cover the cost of the relocation, but, if they did not, they would look at other options, including borrowing money.