A Devonshire community group is calling on Government to "stop its rhetoric'' and make a decision on a strip of land overlooking North Shore Road which they want to turn into a playground.

And they have support from Devonshire North MP Mrs. Lois Browne Evans and former United Bermuda Party senator Mr. Charles Marshall.

At issue is a deed to the land that Father William Cox had left to the Catholic church to build a retreat for priests.

In his will Father Cox, who was former House Speaker Sir John Cox's uncle, stated that if the Catholic church was not able to use the land within 15 years then the land should be given to Government to establish a home for "wayward coloured boys.'' Loyal Hill residents claim that since Government had not built the home as the deed stipulated, Father Cox's descendants were trying to get the land back and this had put the plans for the playground on hold.

Mrs. Suzie Halliday, who is Father Cox's granddaughter and lives near the proposed playground site, said she was surprised to hear these allegations because they had not launched any legal fight to get the property back.

Her husband Neil explained that they had done some landscaping near their home which was on a different part of the land, to remove some old bottles and broken old cars.

Government got upset about that and wanted them to reinstate the land as it was and they complied.

"We thought we had an arrangement with Government where we would do a land swap,'' he said. "We would take a portion of that land next to our boundary (next to the proposed playing field). Government had agreed to that as far as we were concerned.

"The only thing holding it up was that Government could not find the deed.'' Mr. Halliday said he was never against the Loyal Hill committee using the land near to his property for a playing field. He said it concerned him that residents thought he was against their plan.

"I find that allegation very disturbing because nothing could be further from the truth. We have mounted no legal opposition.'' Meanwhile, Works and Engineering Minister the Hon. Leonard Gibbons said his Ministry was in the process of turning the property over to the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Recreation who would decide how it was used.

"There apparently was some question of title,'' he said. "We have researched that and to the best of our knowledge we have good title.

"We are currently having the property surveyed and as I had promised we would turn it over to the Ministry of Youth Sport and Recreation, because it is not for this Ministry to decide who gets to use it. That's Youth and Sport's call.'' Yesterday Loyal Hill residents held a press conference and urged Government to use a "force purchase'' to acquire the land and turn it over to them.

They would assume all responsibility for creating and maintaining the playground and they already have a $2,500 pledge from Mr. Doug Fetigan, the managing director of Watlington Waterworks.

Mr. Keith Simmons, spokesman for the residents, said the group wanted to hold functions free of alcohol and drugs and use the money from such functions for scholarships.