OPPONENTS of plans to build a new pavilion that promises to deliver sporting and community facilities in Williton felt the long arm of the law this week. Local residents John and Patricia Holden decided people in the village should have an idea of the scale of the proposal, which is being put forward by Williton Parish Council - who are also trustees of the Memorial Ground, where the pavilion will be sited. So on Monday the couple used spray paint to mark the corners of the footprint of the proposed building and Mr Holden began mowing the area. When the council's assistant clerk Sarah Towells discovered what was happening, she asked the couple to stop. They refused so she called the police. "An officer arrived and told me I had to stop cutting the grass because it didn't belong to me," said Mr Holden. "He warned me that he would have to arrest me if I didn't stop and might have to seize my lawnmower. "We told him why we were doing it but, to be honest, by the time he arrived we had all but finished anyway. "He took our names and address but nothing has happened. "We weren't committing any crime - we just thought it was important that people should be able to see the scale of this development. "It is much bigger than when it was first proposed and it is in a different part of the ground. "The council is calling it a sports pavilion but it's a village hall really and it shouldn't be built on this green area. "We are not opposed to replacing the changing rooms which are already there but this development is a backward step. "I think it was a bit over the top to call the police - it was a harmless demonstration." Mr Holden, who is a member of the Friends of Williton War Memorial Ground - a group against any additional development on the ground - was due to voice his opposition to the scheme at a meeting of West Somerset Council's planning meeting yesterday (Thursday) where the proposal was being recommended for approval. Parish council chairman Cllr Robert McDonald insisted that Mr and Mrs Holden's actions had amounted to breaking the law. "The ridiculous thing is that if they had come and asked permission to do what they did, it would not have been refused," he said. "The footprint has already been marked out on two previous occasions - once for the general public and most recently to allow members of the district council planning committee to see it. "We have always been open with the Friends group and kept them informed of our plans. "There has never been any secret agenda. "The location of the pavilion has changed by necessity and that is because the original site was in a higher flood-risk area. "This whole episode was unnecessary because had Mr and Mrs Holden followed the proper procedure and protocol, it would never have led to the police being called. "It's ridiculous to think that we could allow anyone to just start mowing up the ground." The pavilion, which if it wins the go-ahead is likely to cost around £830,000, would have a 415-metre footprint and provide space for a badminton court and a community area seating 150 people for a meeting or 100 for a function. The scheme also includes plans for a multi-use games area, which is expected to deliver facilities for tennis, basketball, netball and possibly five-a-side football.