TO some North Kelvin Meadow might not look a valuable modern resource. On a rainy November morning, it is looks like just a wild, unmanicured patch of land in the heart of the west end of Glasgow. There are slender young silver birches rising up out of the ground. Damp grass painted in seasonal gold leaf. Pond-sized puddles ... and children sitting round their first nursery class campfire, toasting marshmallows.

In other words it is exactly the kind of scene that Every Child Wild, a campaign launched last week by the Wildlife Trusts, hopes to nurture: an opportunity for children to get in touch with nature - even in the city. As the campaign’s famous supporter David Attenborough pointed out: “Contact with nature should not be the preserve of the privileged. It is critical to the personal development of our children.”

Yet, a decision by Glasgow City Council could see this wood and meadow replaced by a upmarket development of ninety Georgian-style houses. It could see this bit of urban wild tamed.

Those fighting the development see theirs as a David versus Goliath battle. Their opponents are the developers, New City Vision, and the millions of pounds cash-strapped Glasgow City Council stand to gain from the deal. But, though local, the protestors have among them some strong, distinctive voices: actor Tam Dean Burns, Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson and activist Emily Cutts.

Currently both David and Goliath have development proposals before the planning committee. A decision has been postponed until after a site visit and hearing.

The defenders of the Children’s Wood, as the locals have renamed the meadow, argue that this wild space offers something impossible to monetise; that its social returns are high. It’s a hub, they point out, where old people, children, dog walkers, gardeners, newcomers to the city like refugees and others can meet. Situated on the boundary between the wealthy West End and more impoverished Maryhill, it serves families living in flats and tenements, without garden space. It is “an outdoor community centre”, and one which Emily Cutts sees as addressing “21st century needs”.

“In Glasgow," she says, "we have food poverty at the moment and we are growing food for the Greater Maryhill Foodbank. There is loneliness for the old: the most recent volunteer is 85 years old and we are connecting with old folks homes. There are refugees: we are involving them in our projects.”

New City Vision however takes a fairly unromantic view of the current state of the piece of land. Harry O’Donnell, the company’s chairman, for instance does not regard it as “a safe environment”, or a “particularly attractive” one. For him the journey to this point has been a “long, drawn out planning process”, and involved “one of the most comprehensive public engagement exercises that I have ever been involved with.” He feels, however, he is up against is a “very vocal, articulate, well organised lobby, which is typical of what you get if you want to do anything in the West End of Glasgow”.

Part of the point, though for the defenders of The Children’s Wood, is its wildness; that it is not too tamed. “That allows an old school sort of play,” says Cutts, “in which kids can climb trees. And some kids have never climbed trees.” Cutts, a psychology researcher and mother of two children who use the wood, is interested in the cognitive and mental health benefits for youngsters of spending time in nature. The Children’s Wood has even linked up with the psychology department of Glasgow University, and has been part of a research project comparing attention spans after spending times in three locations: a classroom, a local play-park and the Children’s Wood. Attention span was best after spending time in the green space of the wood.

Tam Dean Burn sits by the campfire singeing a pink marshmallow to perfection. The actor comes down here regularly with his five year old daughter Morgan. One of the things he loves about the project is that it is “bottom up”, not “top down”.

“This as an example of what will happen if you allow the community to develop itself. It’s so sensible. It brings out the best in the community. It uses the community skills.”

Earlier this year, Burn linked the fight for the Children's Wood with the campaign Our Land, which highlights the problems of dereliction in Scottish cities and calls for land reform. It has gained an online momentum in recent months under the hashtag #ourland. Among those behind the Our Land campaign was land reform activist and Green candidate Andy Wightman. For him campaigns like North Kelvin Meadow are part of a wider shift in our relation to the land.

“What’s happening at North Kelvin meadow,” Wightman says, “demonstrates what communities are capable of, but also their lack of power in the existing order of things. We need structural change in how power is distributed and exercised. Across Scotland I see lots of enthusiasm for having a more meaningful say in how the places we live in are being used. But I see a planning system that is subservient to the interests of money.”

Wightman has felt encouraged by the enthusiasm for Our Land. “What was heartening to me about it was that people so quickly identified how relevant land and property is to their community area, and how they want a far greater say. Some of these concerns arise out of pure nimbyism, others are more altruistic, some are quite visionary. But the only space in which most people most often have the opportunity to participate is when they’re speaking against a well-defined development proposal.”

A Glasgow City Council spokesperson noted that, currently there is no date for the North Kelvin Meadow site visit and hearing. He outlined the history of the site. “Proposals for the site were made and they always featured housing. There was a public meeting in March 2008 where the New City Vision proposal was deemed to be the most popular.”

Is it still the most popular? Cutts points out that a Glasgow University survey found that when they asked 3000 people if they wanted the land built on or not, over 90% of the respondents said they did not. She adds: “I think what we have here is real localism and it’s working, but the council are not listening. We’re hoping that eventually they’re going to see that the wood is what the people really want.”