Delighted gardeners have welcomed the decision to class threatened allotments as "an asset of community value".

Allotment holders are fighting to stop Barnett Wood Lane Allotments from being sold off along with adjoining greenbelt land in the Leatherhead Bypass.

Campaigner John Weller said the new status means they must be given the opportunity to buy the land themselves, although it is very unlikely they could afford it.

Mr Weller said: "It gives us five years of protection in the sense it remains as an asset of community value. If the council wishes to sell the land, as in this case, they have to give notice of their intention to sell."

Last summer Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) and Oxford University’s Merton College selected Barratt Homes as the preferred developer of 500 homes on the 32-acre site comprised of allotments and greenbelt land.

August: Could proposed 500-home development revitalise Leatherhead?

But the plans have been put on hold after the council abandoned its district-wide housing plan that could have earmarked this greenbelt land, owned by Merton College, for development.

November: Mole Valley's greenbelt safe for now: Housing plan to be abandoned

Andy Smith, Surrey branch director at the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said they were delighted to hear the application for asset of community value had been approved.

Mr Smith said: "It is interesting that over a hundred letters were sent into the planning department supporting the application and only one, from the council itself, opposing it. It is clear that the community cherishes this important local amenity."

CPRE says the allotments were given to the people of Leatherhead more than 150 years ago and are "irreplaceable" as a recreational green space.

The council said the application was "considered independently of any other interests" and the objection was submitted because it owns the land.

It said: "By looking to safeguard potential future development opportunities, MVDC’s intention was to ensure the site could be utilised for the long-term benefit of all Mole Valley residents."