MORE than 150 residents have signed a petition in just 24 hours opposing plans for new football pitches to be built on Southend’s Garon Park.

Southend Council and Garon Park Community Interest Company are planning to create new 3G football pitches in the park, but residents fear “public green space is being turned into a commercial zone”.

Residents claim the plans will include flattening “beautiful wild areas” and turning them into “pay-for-use football pitches” unavailable to the majority of the public.

Campaigner Jo Bates, from Shoebury, has launched the petition and claims the area was once open space used by the public but is now being fenced off and turned into commercial land to make cash.

The 57-year-old added the development “will cause further damage to wildlife as habitat is destroyed and transformed into plastic football pitches”.

Jo said: “I have waked that area for decades and my family lived here for 60 years, these are my childhood play areas and they were free and open, then the golf course, swimming pool and tennis courts were built.

“Underneath the guise of progress, this green land is being manipulated into a commercial zone with plans to turn it into plastic football pitches.

“Public footpaths will be moved, then will be fenced off and locked, making the area pay for use, thereby locking out our local people and grassroots clubs.”

Since the petition was launched on Monday, 169 signatures have been added.

Jo added: “The tennis courts were always used around Wimbledon time and then they were locked when they built the Padel tennis courts there.

“The fence has been moved a few times and now they want to move the footpath to the far side where they have placed a gate they can lock if they wish and that they can fence off.

“They were used without having to pay and no grassroots team can pay.

“We walk there every single morning, loads of people walk there and it has helped my mental health. They are fencing off the fields though.

“It will push people away from sports.”

Southend Council has been contacted for comment.

To support the petition, visit change.org/p/garons-southchurch-halt-the-destruction-of-our-local-green-belt-land-and-wildlife-habitat.