CAMPAIGNERS fighting 3G pitch plans for Victoria Park in Peebles are hoping to recruit an expert legal team.

Meetings will take place with lawyers involved in a similar fight in Edinburgh to protect common good land from local authority development.

So far the Save Victoria Park group have amassed almost 1700 signatures on a petition (1150 online and 500 paper) opposing proposals to site a synthetic sports pitch with changing facilities, floodlights and car parking on the greenfield site.

And many of the organisations and individuals involved have also written to Scottish Borders Council's chief executive, Tracey Logan, for an explanation to the development decision as well as answers to several legal points.

But the protest group have also contacted the legal team, led by Roy Martin QC, who successfully fought Edinburgh City Council plans to build a school on common good land at Portobello.

Frances Mordaunt from Save Victoria Park said: "We are already in talks with lawyers who were involved at Portobello and a further meeting will take place next week.

"If Scottish Borders Council won't stop this development voluntarily, we will have to take a court action."

Much of the legal argument for protecting Victoria Park is likely to be its common good ownership.

The vast majority of the park was gifted to the town by Sir John Adam Hay of Haystoun on July 26, 1888, to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.

According to campaigners, the accompanying feu charter which was handed over to Provost William Whitie stated that the land should never be built on.

A smaller area of land at the north-west of the park, opposite Priorsford bridge, was gifted to the town by Sir John's son, Sir Duncan Edwyn Hay on October 6, 1914.

Both areas of gifted land are legally regarded as common good assets.

But a further, even smaller pocket of land at the north-east, adjacent to the current Day Centre, was part of almost 30 acres acquired by the local authority in 1955 for social housing from Malgarve Estates.

Mr Mordaunt added: "We have yet to see the finalised plans but it would seem that Scottish Borders Council wants to fence off and develop around a quarter of the land which was gifted to the town."

Although Edinburgh City Council were eventually allowed to build a replacement secondary school on Portobello Park by the Scottish Government - it cost the local authority well over £1 million in legal fees and delayed the project by six years.

Despite planning permission having been granted in 2008, the plans were challenged by the local residents on the grounds that the site selected was inalienable common good land.

The city council eventually had to lodge a private Bill at the Scottish Parliament after a Court of Session challenge by the action group was successful.

The Peebles campaigners hope a change of minds will happen at Newtown to prevent the need for a similar legal challenge.

Graeme Murray from Peebles Civic Society said: "Peebles Civic Society has written to the chief executive of Scottish Borders Council to ask why she doesn't believe it is illegal to build on common good land at Victoria Park.

"We have received a reply which didn't answer the question, so we have written again.

"There are alternatives sites for a 3G pitch, we just hope Scottish Borders Council starts listening to the people of Peebles."

Campaigners are due to meet again on Thursday at the Tontine Hotel, and there are also plans to erect a stall on Peebles High Street next Saturday to demonstrate the impact that any development would have on Victoria Park and its surroundings.