Community halls and playing fields could be sold off or built on as Croydon Council looks to slash the crippling cost of maintaining its property and land.

A £1bn portfolio of 995 properties, ranging from car parks and depots to open spaces and youth clubs, will be reviewed to free up funds as well as space for housing.

The council is currently shackled by a £30m backlog of maintenance costs, rising each year, and must find £100m of savings in its wider budget by 2017. 

Opposition councillors accused the authority of "asset-stripping" and claimed Croydon's future generations would suffer.

Under the plans, revealed this week in the council's five-year asset strategy, parts of under-occupied council buildings - including Bernard Weatherill House - will be leased and school fields or car parks could be built on.

A report on the strategy said: "A number of schools have very large playing fields and ancillary land that may be considered excessive for the number of students that attend the school."

Some such sites would be used for school expansion or affordable housing. 

A "significant amount of space" in Bernard Weatherill House could be rented out, with the report stating: "As prime office space in Croydon it is believed that this accommodation would rent well and be attractive to the market". 

Community buildings, such as Stanley Hall in South Norwood and Selsdon Hall, will also be reviewed.

The council says the 66 buildings taht cost more than £1m a year to maintain and are largely used by third-sector organisations, "cannot be sustained".

Councillor Simon Hall, cabinet member for finance, said: "Part of our commitment to the people of Croydon is to make the most of our assets.

"As things stand, it is clear in terms of the cost of the maintenance backlog, keeping the status quo is not an option."

The plans were approved at a cabinet meeting on last night, when Conservative councillors queued up to criticise them. 

Councillor Maria Gatland demanded to know "which school playing fields you intend to sell for housing", while Councillor Dudley Mead, shadow cabinet member for housing, warned: "We are only custodians of Croydon for a few years.

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"There are many generations to come in the coming years and they will lament the fact we have disposed of some of their valuable assets."

But Coun Hall said: "We are not selling any playing fields. Nowhere in this strategy does it say that."

He added: "The principle is how we can make the best use of assets, improve services and get income streams for key policies for housing and schools."

The council, which spends £18m a year on its property, has identified an initial £2.3m of savings from its portfolio in the next three years and expects to find more following the review.