TEMPERS flared at a Penistone Town Council meeting on Monday over a vote to apply for a third time for village green status for the entire recreation ground.

The proposal, which some councillors argued would 'completely scupper' the town centre development plans, was approved by eight votes to five.

Developers have been granted planning permission to build a Tesco store and a 190 space car park on part of the land. If the village green application was successful it could halt the development.

Two previous village green applications were turned down by Barnsley council in June 2004 and January 2005. Speaking at the meeting Coun Joe Unsworth said many of the members had been fighting for a supermarket for 13 years.

He said: "I have to ask myself if the proposers really think this application will be successful and what their motivation is. I hope it's not political games. The previous applications failed so why are we wasting thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money?"

Coun Chris Pilkington conducted a survey of 140 people in the area and 70 per cent were in favour of a village green. He said it was far too serious a situation to play political games and it was a member of the electorate who wanted this application.

Mark Dransfield, managing director of Dransfield Properties, said: "We are very concerned that certain members on Penistone Council have conducted their own straw polls and appear to have decided that there is an overwhelming local view that the proposed supermarket and town centre development in Penistone is not needed.

"Penistone Council has shown a complete disregard for the proper public consultation process by now taking action to try to prevent a development which they have previously supported."

Coun Pilkington and fellow proposer Coun Steve Webber said in a statement: "The motion has been debated in a democratic manner and a subsequent vote has indicated that the majority of the council are in favour of protecting the recreation ground."