ANGRY residents living near Bromsgrove Rovers' Victoria Ground are demanding to know what future plans the district council has for the land.

They plan to send strongly worded letters to council leader councillor Dennis Norton (Con-St Johns) highlighting their fears over strong rumours suggesting the ground and surrounding area is about to be developed.

Cllr Norton was set to receive them this week.

He referred questions from this newspaper to council chief Bob Lewis, but he was unavailable as we went to press.

The move follows reports last week from several residents at having seen surveyors at work inside the ground and adjacent roads.

And the Advertiser/Messenger yesterday had it confirmed that within the past few weeks developers' agents have contacted some businesses and private householders in the vicinity with tempting offers to buy their premises.

Residents' spokesman Don Ross from Victoria Road was one who had watched the surveyors.

He said they now planned to write to Cllr Norton "in order to get to the truth" as nobody is being straight with us," he said.

"We have established that no plans have been deposited at the Council House, but somebody must know what is going on."

The prospect of the land being developed, possibly by a leading supermarket chain, as several are known to be keen to come to Bromsgrove, is worrying residents.

"It would be horrendous and cause absolute mayhem on the already heavily congested Birmingham and Stourbridge Roads," said Mr Ross.

He added residents fear added pollution from vehicles, lights and noise and property values may nose dive as a result.

Earlier this year we exclusively reported the council, which owns the Victoria Ground, had bought six acres of land in Old Burcot Lane for close on £500,000 as a likely future home for Rovers.

A few years ago this newspaper exclusively revealed ASDA's plan to relocate its store to the Victoria Ground. This was subsequently refused by the then Labour council.

And in May 2000 as part of their present store refurbishment plans ASDA offered the council £1m in return for a guarantee it would not sell the football ground to a rival food retailer. They later withdrew the offer.

Bromsgrove Rovers, who are are currently in the Dr Marten's League Western Division, have been playing at the Victoria Ground since 1910.