FEARS have been raised again about land at Southampton Sports Centre being sold off for development.

Council chiefs scrapped all mention of areas being used to build homes in their draft local plan after an outcry from people in the city.

But Peter Wirgman, chairman of the Federation of Southampton Residents' Associations, spoke of his concern that land could be sold off to improve facilities at the centre.

Council officers insisted they were looking at various ways of funding new schemes, including grants from sports groups.

Mr Wirgman told a public inquiry into the local plan: "What I'm concerned about is the very fact the original plan said we were going to sell off land to developers to fund improvements.

"We got to that situation through the lack of a maintenance budget or, in other words, funding neglect throughout many years.

"I am still worried that we seem to be relying on vague promises of funding from outside bodies.

"I am still extremely concerned about the funding of things."

Council leisure officer Chris Jane said a cross-party working group had been set up to look at ways of securing money for improvements at the centre.

He added: "There are external sources of funding available, like Sport England and the Football Association. Certainly we would be looking at those options to possibly fund some of the improvement plan."

The statement in the plan that originally sparked controversy before being deleted said residential development would only be permitted at the centre if it was demonstrated that it was essential to fund projects within the centre.

Planning inspector Christina Downes will complete her amendments to the plan in the coming months and city chiefs are expected to adopt the revised plan by the end of 2004.