A recommendation which will be put to councillors  at tonight’s meeting is not to proceed with  the sale of land in Bailey Street.

The council received 14 submissions objecting to the sale, with residents raising issues around safety concerns and a lack of parkland in Timboon.

A report which will be presented to council noted there had been a significant response from the community against the sale due to issues around safety, traffic loads and loss of open parkland.

“The submission process has highlighted the community’s demand for this space to remain as open park land and for safe public access,” the report states.

Timboon Community Plan group member David Pope welcomed the recommendation and said it appeared the council had listened to the community.

He said mayor Chris O’Connor, along with councillors Neil Trotter and Peter Harkin, had been to a Timboon Action meeting and heard a variety of views.

Mr Pope said the councillors listened carefully.

He said some people were quite direct and forthright in their opinions and he praised the councillors for attending.

“Overall it’s a great outcome,” he said. “It shows how well local government can work.”

Mr Pope said the community supported the initiative to sell some council-owned land but in this case the council had dipped its toe in with the wrong parcel of land and he hoped it wouldn’t put the council off. Timboon Action president Charlene Payne said the recommendation was a good sign.

“Hopefully the council will vote and not sell it,” she said.

“It will be a great outcome if it doesn’t sell. If they do there will be a bit of backlash from the community.”

The council bought the land from the state government in 2005 and the report notes if the council decides not to sell the land then the ongoing costs to maintain it would be about $3200 per year.