Four thousand people marched through the streets of a Devon town in protest at council plans to relocate its headquarters and sell off nearby parkland for development.
Old and young alike, some brandishing placards and others wearing campaign T-shirts, joined the mass rally in Sidmouth on Saturday in a show of strength against East Devon District Council's plan to move from the Knowle to new offices in Honiton ten miles away.
Richard Thurlow, chairman of the campaign group Save Our Sidmouth, said the protest had been "absolutely fantastic".
"It goes to show that a significant proportion of the local population are very, very worried about the council's plans," he said. "It all went off very peacefully, but people are determined to see justice done."
Marchers were met at the Knowle by council leader Paul Diviani. After the protest he said the authority continued to gather "evidence" to help decide the controversial issue. He insisted the move would only go ahead if it proved "cost neutral" to taxpayers, but said the cost of upgrading its existing buildings was "prohibitive".