The former leader of West Wiltshire District Council, whose cabinet voted in secret to relax a covenant protecting land at Bradford on Avon Golf Club from development, has defended the decision.

Cllr Graham Payne, who was the leader of the former authority and portfolio holder for property and estates, chaired the cabinet meeting in June 2007, when a decision was made behind closed doors to relax the covenant protecting the golf course, a move which could have earned the council £2.5m if the land had been sold then.

Last month a planning application was resubmitted to build 195 houses next to the golf course, leading to 150 objections and a 1,500-name protest petition.

Cllr Payne told the Wiltshire Times: “It (the decision) had no bearing on any planning applications; it was merely a relaxing of the covenant.

“It was confidential, because it was a matter where money was involved and so it was commercial in confidence. It’s open for anybody to challenge but no one came forward at the time.”

Cllr Payne said the latest plan for the golf course is likely to be rejected as the new houses would be outside the town’s designated development area, outlined in the Local Plan.

The details of the covenant meeting emerged following a Freedom of Information request submitted by Duncan Hames, the Lib Dem prospective MP for the Chippenham seat, which will cover Bradford. “The council overuse the justification of commercial confidence,” he said.

“The sums involved might have needed to be confidential but the council’s intention around that piece of land, that it was considering removing a covenant on land, shouldn’t have been a secret.

“What I think is important to justify is why this whole business has been kept secret from members of the public, even after the first planning application to build on this land was made last year.”

Bren Hodkinson, a campaigner for Keep Bradford Green, said: “I am very disappointed that it appears councillors took a decision behind closed doors, which may have encouraged the land owner to believe that they may be able to build houses on Bradford on Avon golf course.

“ Without this it would be very unlikely we'd be faced with the possible loss of the land today.”