NEARLY 1500 people had their say on plans to transform a large neglected area in an historic city park.

Some locals said they’d like to see a cafe, toilets and a seating area on the former blaes pitches in Victoria Park.

There were also suggestions for a picnic area, sports pitch, community meadow, bike activities, parking space and allotments.

The council held the consultation from February to March this year.

Bosses will now consider the findings before a decision on the future of the park is made later this year.

As the Evening Times reported, two groups pitched their bids to local residents about how they would like to see Victoria Park restored to its former glory.

Around half of respondents said they supported the idea of a community sports facility.

Broomhill Sports Club (BSC), whose head coach is Kenny Moyes - brother of Real Sociedad boss David Moyes - wants to build a football pitch, community pitch and dressing room facilities.

The brothers, who grew up in nearby Thornwood, used the pitches when they were growing up before they fell into disrepair.

But concerns were raised about the proposal as it was deemed to commercialise the park.

Meanwhile, more than half of participants supported the proposal by Friends of Victoria Park (FOVP) to build an orchard, community garden, bike and seating area in the historic Glasgow parkland.

But there were fears it would attract vandalism and it might be neglected in the long-term.

The Victoria Park Residents’ Association later chipped in with ideas to grass over the the red blaes pitches.

There was a mixed response to this suggestion, with 43% for and 39% against.

A total of 1468 responses were received by the council on the park’s future.

More than three quarters - 77% - of respondents said they normally use the green space for walking or running, with a further 51% using it for relaxation.

But nearly half of locals said they do not currently use the pitches, with many saying they avoid the area due to the poor conditions.

Cathie Russell, of FOVP, said: “We’ve distributed the consultation analysis to our members and we’ll be discussing it in detail next week at our meeting.

“It’s definitely given us food for thought and it was good to see the support for the orchard proposal.”

There were fears developers would launch a commercial venture in the green space, such as a pub, shop, or garden centre, after the council decided to rent it out to generate funds.

Property consultant Ryden, which undertook a feasibility study into the pitches, examined the bids before passing them onto the council.

Councillor Alistair Watson, Executive Member for Sustainability and Transport, said: “The public consultation on the future use of the red blaes pitches was well received with more than 1450 responses.

“The comments collated during the exercise helps us understand the full breadth of views of the community.

“It’s clear Victoria Park is visited by a very wide range of people and it’s important that we consider all ideas and suggestions put forward before making a decision.”