A ROW has broken out about an ancient water meadow which could be concreted over to make a car park.

Residents are resisting the move vigorously, saying it would be ruin the entrance to Blandford which has ample parking anyway.

Brewery company Hall and Woodhouse has applied for permission to develop part of Crown Meadow which it refers to as "an unsightly bog".

The company says more parking is "fundamental to the on-going growth of the Crown Hotel" and that customers have had to be turned away for lack of parking.

More town centre parking would also help redress the adverse effects of supermarket giant Tesco at Blandford St Mary, claims the application.

But River Mews residents have carried out their own parking survey.

Richard Wood told Blandford town council that scores of empty parking spaces had been counted between 11am and 1pm on two market days in the height of the summer.

"We looked at Stour Park, the Ham and Marsh and Langton Road - there was parking in all of them," he said.

"They claim they don't have room for all their patrons, yet they let parking places to members of the public.

"You can't let places for financial benefit and then claim lack of space."

Mr Wood waved a copy of the local plan at councillors, saying the application contravened numerous policies.

"I have been through this with a fine forensic toothcomb," he said.

"I hope the town council will act as guardian for the heritage of this town."

Cllr Mike Owen said the town was very short of amenity land. The Georgian Fair, the carnival and, in the past, the music festival all used Crown Meadow.

He suggested the town negotiated to get a covenant on the land for such events as a "quid pro quo" for the proposed car park.

But other councillors rejected the idea.

Cllr Haydn White said the land was in the flood plain and was part of the old deer park. The entrance to the town would be "destroyed" by further development, he said.

Members recommended that North Dorset planners turned down the plan.