CAMPAIGNERS opposed to the construction of 98 homes that would see the completion of an unfinished terrace of houses dating back to 1851 are stepping up their fight.

Expresso Property last year received permission for the properties at Park Quadrant, in a conservation area in Glasgow’s west end, despite 170 letters of objection.

They raised concerns about the impact on listed buildings in the area and called for the land to remain an open space.

Members of the city council planning committee visited the site and spent two and a half hours debating the application before deciding by 11 votes to five that it could go ahead.

The work will complete the Charles Wilson-designed terrace, which was built in 1851 but never finished.

But objectors said they would consider the reasons for the decision and warned the matter was not over.

The city council agreed to sell the controversial site to Expresso for £6.5 million after considering bids from 11 developers.

Park and Woodlands Heritage Group has now revealed it has consulted a London-based international law firm, which is an expert in procurement, and an academic lawyer at one of Scotland’s top universities.

As a result, it has now started a fresh legal challenge to the council by instructing specialist solicitors to press the council to explain whether and how the sale matches up to EU procurement law.

The heritage group says the council can only sell land with a requirement to develop it if they follow very specific procedures.

A spokesman for Park and Woodlands said: “We await a response, sure in the knowledge that we can take the matter to the Court of Session if necessary.

“We believe the project to have been ill-conceived from the start and would question the sanity of any other backer who picks up the pieces in light of our legal challenge, Brexit and the poor design of the project.”

However, city council arms’ length group City Property insisted it was pressing ahead with the project.

A spokesman commented: “City Property is satisfied in terms of the funding route proposed by Expresso and negotiations are proceeding as planned.”