HUNDREDS of people have called for council plans to use a nature reserve as a temporary car park to be halted.

Bridport Town Council has applied to West Dorset District Council to use the showground site at Asker Meadows as a car park for up to 100 vehicles on some Saturdays during the summer.

But the Friends of Asker Meadows (FAM) has launched a petition against the proposals - and the group has already gained the support of more than 700 people.

FAM member Ged Duncan said: "We thank the council for having the vision to protect this land and enhance it as a reserve, and we urge them to continue to do so. "We disagree, as the plans suggest, that the setting of the adjoining conservation area will be unaffected. But what’s more important is that this field is in a designated local nature reserve, a space for wildlife, education and recreation - not car parking."

Valerie Bowditch successfully led a campaign in the 1970s to keep the land free from development. Since then it has had several owners but was sold to the council when Safeway, now Morrisons, was built.

Karen Alner, who signed the petition, believes Asker Meadows should "stay car free" and is concerned the area could be turned into a permanent car park.

She said: "It's a beautiful safe place to walk in the fields and by the river with my little dog with no risk of traffic.

"I can see in times to come it will end up being a permanent car park and then being built on."

Currently, more than 70 species of birds, mammals, amphibians and fish live on, or visit, the reserve, including legally protected water voles and otters.

Bridport town clerk Bob Gillis, said: "The town council has submitted a temporary planning application to use the showfield only at Asker Meadows for parking on busy Saturdays and for town festivals during July to September this year.

"The proposal is to allow the field to be used on a limited number of particularly busy days, estimated to be no more than seven days this summer, to meet the demand at those times for additional town centre parking.

"The number of occasions the field would be used this year will be reviewed subject to comments received as part of the planning application, which is for temporary permission only. The area to be used is the field currently used for events. All other parts of this popular site including the sensitive river bank areas will not be affected.

"The town council would welcome people’s views on the application and people can either contact the town council or make their comments direct to West Dorset District Council, as part of the planning application process.

"The town council will also be meeting the organisers of the petition and welcomes people’s comments on the proposal."

To see the petition, please visit chn.ge/1rLad5Q