Angry neighbours of a sixth-form college have formed an action group to fight plans for housing on sports fields.

The Varndean Action Committee (VAC) aims to save land which has been used by generations of schoolchildren.

Varndean College in Brighton wants to see part of the land developed for housing to help fund an ambitious £6 million expansion scheme.

The committee says such a development would have a profound impact on the area by losing a link in the ribbon of green between Hollingbury and London Road.

It believes new families housed there would create more pressure at neighbouring Balfour Infant and Junior Schools, where a contested merger scheme already plans to cut infant intake.

Neighbours say the scheme would add to high traffic levels in Surrenden Road and could affect the health and safety of the children walking to the campus schools every day from Withdean, Westdene, Patcham and London Road.

They claim the development would lead to destroying 17 trees with preservation orders and is close to a Bronze Age site.

VAC is calling for an environmental impact assessment to be made of the development.

The committee is questioning whether the college expansion is really needed and wants to know whether options have been considered by the college, such as joining the private finance initiative other schools on the campus have embraced.

Spokeswoman Judy Trewin said: "We feel the planning application by Varndean College should not have been timed to coincide with the summer holidays and that the college should have tried much harder to inform and consult local people. The college application is premature."

A second group has been formed called the Wider Varndean Campus Committee. It aims to create a neighbourhood plan for the area to balance the needs of all the educational institutions with those of residents.

The committee has asked the college to withdraw the planning application while this process takes place but the request has been refused.

It has now written to Brighton and Hove City Council saying the application should be refused.

VAC members have also welcomed a council ecology report on the site which says important opportunities have been missed to incorporate new nature conservation features.

Spokeswoman Elizabeth Hutchison said: "At last we have got the city council to look closely at this proposal."