The saga over Whitchurch Playing Fields will take another twist in the coming week, with the developer warning that sports groups need facilities now.

The Whitchurch Consortium was chosen as the preferred bidders by Harrow Council in 2011 as the group to sell Whitchurch Playing Fields in Wemborough Road, Stanmore.

The group intend to demolish the dilapidated pavilion and replace it state-of-the-art sports facilities, but campaigners against the development warn however that the land – which is classified by the Department for Education as 'school playing fields' – should be protected for school use by the nearby Whitchurch First School and Nursery which uses the green space.

One opponent of the Whitchurch Consortium filed a village green application in an attempt to stall or derail the development, the outcome of which will be decided on December 10.

Arvin Mahen, operations manager of the Whitchurch Consortium, said: "This process has been frustrating not just for us but for the sports teams who want to use the site and the facilities we intend to build.

"This all started in 2009, and here we are five years later. It is a big delay and the site is in a really bad state and something needs to be done."

The developers – who want to invest £2million in the land – have had to deal with several administrations at the council which they feel has drawn out the process to the detriment of local sports clubs, with a public inquiry even having to be held and the council racking up legal costs of approximately £60,000 to date over the sale of the land.

Mr Mahen added: "We are not political. We just want to build the facilities.

"There are no hockey pitches in Harrow, and no high-level cricket grounds either and we have sporting groups who want to come and promote their sports here. That can only be good for the borough, and great for local clubs."

It is likely that the sale of the land to the Whitchurch Consortium will be green lit soon however, as the village green application has been recommended for refusal by an inspector.

Deputy leader of Harrow Council, Councillor Barry Macleod-Culliane (Conservative), said: “Now that the inspector has made his recommendation that the application to register the Whitchurch Playing Fields as a town or village green be refused, a licensing panel meeting has been arranged for December 10 to review the inspector’s findings and to make a final decision."