A BID to designate a piece of land as a village green to halt a major development in Dursley could be scuppered by the local authority, which is buying the land.

Stroud District Council has agreed to buy the 600-home Littlecombe development site from the Regional Development Agency, a Government quango that is being axed next year.

The authority hopes that by being the landowner, working in conjunction with developer St Modwen, they can push the project forward quicker.

Geoff Wheeler, ward councillor for Dursley, said he welcomed the news.

"I think this will be welcomed by the majority of local people especially if it means an accelerated pace of development," he said.

"It could be a major generator for the local economy."

David Hagg, chief executive of the council, said that emerging case law suggested that with Stroud District Council as landowners it was likely to strengthen the case against a village green. The green is situated on land that is earmarked for a road through the Littlecombe development in Long Street and without the road more than 200 of the homes could not be built.

He said he believed those people campaigning for the village green may not have fully understood the consequences.

"This, it seems to me, is being done on a misunderstanding and not in the wider community interest," said Mr Hagg.

"If it went through it would undermine everything that had been done in planning this site and all the benefits that come with the development."