Errol residents are raising the alarm after Perth and Kinross Council dug up their football pitches to make way for flood prevention measures.
The earthworks are being carried out at the Carse community’s park.
Council bosses say they need to build a barrier to prevent nearby homes from flooding.
But Errol residents say they weren’t consulted before their football pitches were targeted.
And they’re worried about what the scheme will mean for local groups who use the park.
Roger Humphry – who co-founded an informal weekly community football group in the park, says the community is “very concerned”.
Mr Humphry, who is vice-chairman of Errol Community Council, said the works will impact the full-sized and seven-a-side football pitches.
“There has been no formal consultation so no one seems to know for sure what is happening,” he said.
“We don’t know who signed this off, what it’s for, if it’s been well thought-out, if it’s sensible, or not sensible, who was consulted, or if details could be improved.”
He said he had asked councillors to call for a pause to the work.
“This is not how to treat communities,” he said.
“The obvious and decent thing to do is to pause, and discuss it respectfully with the community in the normal way”.
Errol councillors in dark over football pitches’ fate
It comes after locals took part in a community planning event just a few weeks ago.
Carse of Gowrie councillor Angus Forbes has raised the community’s concerns with council officials.
He said local councillors were not even aware the work was going ahead.
Mr Forbes has also written to Depute Provost Andrew Parrott who convenes the environment, infrastructure and economic development committee.
In his email to Mr Parrott, he says: “Worries are now surfacing about where this flood water will go once the scheme is finished with some residents calling for the project to be stopped because they fear their properties may end up flooded as a result of this.
Perth and Kinross Council said the action was taken following the recent storms.
A spokesperson said: “Recent storm events have exacerbated an issue with surface water collecting in areas of Errol causing water run-off into neighbouring properties.
“Localised earthworks are being undertaken to form a physical barrier that will divert water away from these properties.
“The football pitches that may be impacted by these urgent and necessary works will require some minor realignment which will be reviewed upon completion of the earthworks.”
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