A park group was left fuming after seeing green space “decimated” during redevelopment work.

Friends of Bury Lodge Park, in Bury Lodge Gardens, Winchmore Hill, believe they were “betrayed” when part of the park was stripped as part of restoration work.

Plans had been agreed by Enfield Borough Council, Thames 21 and the park group to create a sustainable drainage system (Suds) in Salmons Brook, which runs through the park, to help reduce pollution from nearby A10 road.

 However, the group now claims that plans for the site showing a new ‘wetland’ and ‘pond’ were not agreed and have resulted in the clearin of the site.

Denise Vallance of Friends of Bury Lodge Park told the Enfield Independent that the group had agreed to volunteer and help the authorities build a new footpath through the park along with the drainage system, but are now “devastated” by its current appearance.

She said: “There is nothing left, it has been decimated. An entire ecosystem gone, wildlife killed, habitat lost, food supply gone, site open to anyone, pollution and noise from the A10.

“We never agreed to a wetland on the site. We were happy to see the drainage system be installed but we told the council and Thames 21 we are totally against the wetland and ponds, they could become stagnant pools.”

Cabinet member for environment and community safety, Cllr Chris Bond, said: “We have not deviated one centimetre from the plans discussed and agreed with the Friends of Bury Park, we very much welcome and value their input into the park and will continue to work closely with them in the future.

“The site is a former council depot which will be transformed into a public park, there was a substantial quantity of waste material such as concrete, steel and plastic spread across the site and entangled in the vegetation which had to be removed, hence it was necessary to clear all the existing scrub vegetation.

“I acknowledge it looks a little ugly at present, but I’d ask the friends of the park to bear with us because on completion the park will be a beautiful oasis for wildlife and a beacon for nature lovers across the borough.”

A Thames 21 spokeswoman said: “The main works involved in the SuDS Park scheme are planned to take place during the summer of 2015.

“A planning application has not yet been submitted as designs are not finalised and the latest public consultation on the proposal is due to take place on Saturday  January 24, 10am-2pm in Bury Lodge Park.

“It has been necessary to carry out vegetation removal during the autumn/winter season at the proposed site to avoid disturbing nesting birds when they will be active over the spring months.  The area recently cleared had been agreed with the Friends of Bury Lodge last year.”

Ms Vallance, however, revealed the friends group were promised a “sensitively achieved project”.

She said: “It is clear that the contactors now on site are working to these new plans and have stripped away all the existing nature reserve that has evolved over many years.

“We were promised a sensitively achieved project that would enhance the work that nature had already achieved and the preservation of the mature trees that existed as a natural barrier to the A10.

“Unfortunately this has not happened and it appears that the council has opted to go its own way and create a fantasy wetland area with a cycle path emptying out on to the A10.”