MENSTRIE residents have been left furious after green land containing playparks in the village was put up for auction.

The area, adjacent to Blackthorn Grove, appeared on the selling website Zoopla, initially valued at £7,000.

Following an unsuccessful auction, the land was then reposted on the site, this time for £6,000, but still timed out.

Previously, a company called Greenbelt was brought in as a factor for the site, responsible for the upkeep and general maintenance.

Fears were aired by residents, who are worried that the playparks on the land would be sold off by Greenbelt through another company called Rubislaw Estates, leaving their kids with little to do in the village.

James Bull, treasurer of the Menstrie Community Council, relayed residents’ concerns that the playparks would be removed.

He said: “It’s infuriating and frustrating that Greenbelt have offloaded the green areas on our estates for other companies to try and sell rather than giving it to the Resident’s Association to look after.

“This third party is trying to make money off of land that is absolutely worthless to them.

“It’s very sad for the children that their parks are being threatened especially as this park is designed for 40 per cent of Menstrie.

“Without this, the other park would then have to accommodate for 100 per cent of Menstrie so we haven’t got the playparks that can accommodate a small town of this size.”

The Advertiser contacted Greenbelt for clarity on the playpark land, with Greenbelt confirming the land was sold to Rubislaw Estates.

Greenbelt now have no role in the selling of the land at Blackthorn Grove after having finalised the sale to Rubislaw in June of this year.

A spokesperson for Greenbelt said: "Greenbelt has not billed for maintenance in this area for eight years.

"However, from 2016 until Rubislaw Estate’s purchase of the land, we maintained all areas of land remaining to us.

"We also carried out regular play area checks yet did not charge for maintenance of the areas we still owned.

"Throughout this time, we worked with the Residents’ Association, meeting requests from them to carry out projects on our land (where practical).

"The Residents’ Association was offered the opportunity to purchase the play area; however, due to a lack of community support, the necessary funds could not be raised.

"We can confirm Greenbelt has no longer any legal interest, obligations or responsibilities for the open spaces at Menstrie."

As part of Rubislaw’s plan to sell of the land, they had sent a letter to residents whose back gardens meet the grass and asked if they would like to purchase the land to expand their property.

The letter, which was shared with the Advertiser, said: “Rubislaw Estates have recently purchased numerous sites in the UK from the Greenbelt company including Menstrie.

“A plan is attached as an area, purely indicative, that may be of interest to you and your neighbours to purchase.

“Should you be interested in acquiring extra land, please mark off the area and email back for pricing and information.”

Added incentives were provided in the letter, which listed numerous reasons as to why purchasing the land would be beneficial.

These included increasing garden size, adding value to the home, protecting privacy and enabling larger areas for extensions.

Playpark land auctioning has been a topic of contention in Menstrie for a number of years, with planning applications stretching back to 2017 hoping to build homes on a children’s play park area on Rowan Crescent.

These plans were objected to by the Menstrie residents, before rearing its head again in 2020, when it was again met with resistance.

READ MORE: Menstrie residents fight against Rowan Crescent plans

The Advertiser contacted Clackmannanshire Council to ask what could happen to the playpark facilities should the land be sold off.

A spokesperson for the local authority said: “The sale of any play areas does not mean their use changes.

“They remain as play areas unless planning permission is sought and granted for another use.”

Rubislaw Estates have been approached for comment by the Advertiser.