COOMA resident Sarah Wall has pleaded with Cooma-Monaro Shire Council to reconsider its plan to reclassify three parks in town as operational which could allow them to be sold in the future.
She called on council, at its meeting on Monday night, to save the parks at Yareen Road, Adams Avenue and Lloyd Avenue.
The parks are part of 29 parcels of land set to be reclassified from community to operational land when the council adopts its Local Environment Plan on March 25.
She said the reclassification of the parks meant the protection of the park would be removed and it could be sold at any time.
Her talk in open forum comes after more than 165 residents attended a public meeting on February meeting with overwhelming opposition to the plan to reclassify the land.
Mrs Wall said it was important to keep parks forth next generation of children.
"I am here tonight to encourage, to plead with you to save our local parks from sale," she said.
"Let us keep the parks as community land."
"What will be the future of Cooma in 50 or 100 years? " she asked. "We need to hang on to the land. That's the important thing"
A report on the public hearing complied by the chairperson of the hearind Mark Herbert, stated the community was ill informed about council's proposals.
"Despite council's efforts to inform and consult the community by way of consultation with the Playground Committee, publication of the Playground Strategy and information on council's website and published in local newspapers, the community, as represented by the participants at the meeting, remains generally ill informed about council's proposals and believes there has been insufficient community consultation," the report says.
It said the meeting was an excellent exercise in community consultation and although council was not legally required to consider the written submissions, of which there were 100, tendered at the meeting, council should consider them as they would contribute to the council understanding of the community's concerns.
When asked, Mrs Wall said she would be happy if the parks were kept as green space, with the playgrounds removed and the land maintained by council.
A special council meeting has been scheduled for Monday, March 25 at 6pm in the Council Chambers to consider the draft Local Environmental Plan.
Members of the public are welcome to attend.