Frog Lane residents are gearing up to oppose plans to relocate the Traffic Control Department HQ to a field opposite the National Sports Centre.

Transport Control Department (TCD) director Kevin Monkman said the disused arable plot next to a parking lot and water truck refilling site was the favoured option as his department expands to cope with proposed vehicles emissions testing.

But Frog Lane Residents Association chairman Terry Flood said: ?It will pollute the area and diminish the value of the property.

?The area is already overcrowded. We already have the incinerator, the sewage plant, CedarBridge, the Police headquarters, the bus terminal, Prospect school and Prospect pre-school.?

His group was set to raise concerns at a meeting with new MP Glenn Blakeney at Devonshire Recreation Club last night.

Mr. Monkman acknowledged the irony of trying to build over zoned arable land in order to improve the Island?s environment.

He said: ?We are trying to introduce emissions testing in order to improve the air quality which has environmental advantages.

?The problem is the locations which are available for this are environmentally sensitive because of the zoning restrictions there.?

Three sites are under consideration said Mr. Monkman ? the current TCD location, an adjacent field west of TCD near the dump and Frog Lane.

He said: ?Frog Lane is the most advantageous. It?s more accessible because Frog Lane is a wide road.

?There would be no phasing problems unlike if we built on the current TCD parking lot.?

Expansion was necessary because Government plans to introduce emissions testing for vehicles next year, said Mr. Monkman.

Three lanes for computerised testing of cars for pollution, headlight beams, wheel joints and brakes are envisaged with another lane for bikes.

?At the the moment the testing of brakes is very largely subjective, based on feel. But putting it where we are now would be very tight.?

Another option was a field just east of TCD said Mr. Monkman but, he said, this had raised objections from the Parks Department and the Corporation of Hamilton because it was zoned nature reserve.

The area is marshy and would be difficult to build on, added Mr. Monkman.

Mr. Monkman said the safety and emissions testing would be contracted out to a private company in line with a report commissioned by the last Government.

National Trust executive director Steve Conway said: ?Generally we are against the principle of building on arable land, that?s so fundamental. We are surprised this is even being thought of.?