By EDDIE HARBINSON

GLASGOW’S property chiefs have come under fire over plans to flog a five-acre site in Possilpark.

Council officers want to sell the plot, next to Ashfield Stadium, to Allied Vehicles Ltd, who plan on turning it into a 150-berth mobility car park.

But furious councillors have slammed those plans after it emerged that funding for a housing feasibility study on the Torr Street site was pulled, despite a huge shortage of homes in Glasgow.

Hawthorn Housing Co-operative, who are also interested in developing the site and were tasked with carrying out the study, claim they have been left in limbo.

The organisation’s director, Colin Turnbull said: “Hawthorn Housing Co-operative has had a longstanding interest in the Torr Street site as a potential site to build new homes.

“The Co-operative has been allocated £29000 in the council’s strategic housing investment plan for this financial year to carry out a feasibility study on the site.

“The council subsequently advised us that the feasibility study had been put on hold. We understand this was because a neighbour had applied for grant funding to develop the site.

“When we realised, earlier this month, that the application had been unsuccessful we contacted the council to enquire if we could now carry out the feasibility study. We are still awaiting a response.”

The council’s plans to sell the site in an off-market deal were debated yesterday at a meeting of the contracts and property committee.

A report into the proposed deal confirmed that Allied Vehicles, who own Ashfield Stadium, plan on using the car park to expand their operation in north Glasgow.

The report also claimed that “no notes of interest” had been received from any other parties.

Patrick Flynn, the council’s head of housing and regeneration services told councillors that selling the site to Hawthorn was not an option.

He added: “Hawthorn have been talking to us about this site since 2007/08. The key thing for me is that we can’t nominate this site because we can’t prove the housing need.”

But Cllr Frank Docherty said: “There was money left aside for a feasibility study.

“I think there’s more need for houses than there is for car parks. Why are we even talking about a car park in an area where people are screaming out for houses?”

Area councillor Gary Gray added: “My community is going ballistic. People are furious.

“I’m all for investment but they are wanting to turn the whole of Possilpark into a car park.”

The committee decided to delay a decision on the potential deal until more evidence about housing feasibility has been gathered.