RESIDENTS are battling their parish church to stop it building houses on a beautyspot.

The parochial church council of St Leonard’s in Watlington wants to knock down the church hall and use land next to the churchyard for housing to fund renovations to the 14th century church building.

But residents voted overwhelmingly against the scheme, claiming the town would lose one of its few green areas and any housing development in the area would be “over-intensive”.

A residents’ group – Church Hall Concern – has been set up and is urging as many people as possible to head to the Town Hall on Wednesday to have their say.

Group spokesman Tim Horton, a former chairman of Watlington Parish Council, said meetings called by the church in the past year had seen “vigorous opposition” to the scheme.

He said: “There appears to be some return to common sense here but the church is in no position to offer the best management and funding initiatives for the church hall building.

“This building has for 40 years offered a popular venue for regular meetings and celebrations in the town.

“It is in need of new injections of interest and I’m very confident these can be made.

“Good schemes could be placed before the lottery and elsewhere for updating the building.”

Residents voted against the scheme in the recently completed Watlington Speaks consultation, run by the parish council.

Only one-in-five of the 706 people polled backed the plans.

Fifty-one per cent of people opposed the scheme and 29 per cent had no strong feelings.

Mr Horton added: “The church proposals have generated more heat than light.

“We must ask how all this happened but turn to schemes that invest in the community’s future.

“We are also concerned to preserve the delightful area threatened by church plans.

“The area includes the site of the castle in Watlington until the 16th century and today provides a unique ambience in a place where watercress was once gathered.”

Church rector Rev Christopher Evans said he had not been invited to the meeting.

He said: “Although the church is aware this meeting is taking the place, neither St Leonard’s nor myself have been officially informed about it or invited.

“The church will nevertheless issue a written public statement on January 20 for the benefit of those attending the meeting.”

Plans have yet to be lodged with South Oxfordshire District Council.

The meeting on Wednesday starts at 8pm.