Campaigners working to protect the meadow next to Oxford’s ice rink from development claim there is a “big question mark” over plans to hand it to a community trust.

In January, city councillors suggested the executive board should apply to the county council to register Oxpens Meadow as a Town Green.

This followed an application by the St Ebbe’s New Development Residents’ Assocation (Sendra) to the county council to register a slightly larger area of the meadow.

But city council leaders want to transfer the land to a community trust.

At a meeting tonight, members of the executive board are expected to ask officers to stop pursuing the council’s own Town Green registration bid, and investigate transferring the land to a community trust.

Rosemary Fennell, chairman of the Friends of Oxpens Meadow and a member of Sendra, said: “We are happy to discuss the community trust idea because our Town Green applicaton is frozen.

“We agreed to freeze our application while the executive board considered the implications of the council’s motion calling for a Town Green.

“We think there are big question marks over a community trust taking over the land because the trustees would be responsible for its upkeep, and that would have to be properly funded.

“It seems quite clear that council leaders want to protect the meadow, but in future the council might not, and a community trust would not offer the same protection as Town Green status.

“Obtaining Town Green status is the best possible legal route for protecting open spaces and we still think that is the best option, although we are happy to talk with the council about the community trust proposal.”

City council leader Bob Price said that if the meadow gained Town Green status, it might prevent the council installing flood prevention measures, which could be needed to protect neighbouring land earmarked as part of the redevelopment of the West End of the city centre.

He added: “The bid for Town Green status was originated by me through Sendra because we were all worried that the West End development might lead to some encroachment of the meadow.

“Then we realised that if it gets Town Green status that would mean it could not be touched at all, which would stop any flood prevention measures. As a result, we now want officers to produce a more detailed report.”

Ms Fennell said the city council bought land in Oxpens from Christ Church in 1923 with the intention that it would be used for recreation.

But she said that, over the years, the land had been built on and now only the meadow remained as open space.

Earlier this month, campaigners won a battle to preserve Oxford’s Warneford Meadow as a Town Green.