Councillor Peter Weir has hit out at the Housing Executive after it put land up for sale at Churchill Park in Ballyholme, Bangor.

Mr Weir said the sale would lead to over development in the area, create a road hazard and would deprive local children of anywhere to play.

“I am deeply angered and disappointed by news that the Housing Executive have decided to put land for sale at Churchill Park in Ballyholme,” he said. “This is an area which already has a large number of houses, and the sale of this land would leave this proposed development totally surrounded by existing housing,” he said.

The North Down MLA also said the move would lead to further erosion of “the one piece of green space in the Churchill area”.

“What has particularly annoyed residents is the high handed and almost secretive manner in which this sale has been handled,” Mr Weir continued.

“No resident has been notified, and the first that people knew about this was when the for sale sign went up on the green. They have not even been told under what conditions, if any, this land is being sold off. I share residents’ concerns and am seeking an urgent meeting with the Housing Executive to discuss this face to face.”

A spokesman for the Housing Executive said: “The Housing Executive continually reviews its sites of undeveloped land to identify their potential future use for social housing.

“The Housing Executive has deemed this particular site to be unsuitable for social housing and has declared it surplus to requirements. Under Land and Property Services, therefore, we are required to offer the land for sale.”

He went on to say that the opportunity for residents to be consulted over the effects of any development would arise in the future, at the planning stage.

He said: “Any purchaser would need to ensure that all necessary planning approvals could be obtained for potential development of the site. This would involve consultation where local residents would have the opportunity to comment on any proposals.”