DOZENS more activists are expected to descend on the Wilderness Centre.

The closed outdoor education site, owned by Gloucestershire County Council, is being used for a national gathering of anti-capitalist campaigners in March.

Since early January, the Eco House and Stone Barn buildings have been occupied by a 10-strong collective called Protect the Wilderness.

The group is part of a wider movement called Reclaim the Fields, which yesterday announced the Wilderness Centre would be the setting for their "spring gathering".

Invitations, circulated online, are advertising two days of workshops and talks, including how to organise "effective land occupations", and tell members accommodation is available.

It's due to take place on March 8 and 9, although the council is still pursuing an eviction of the group already occupying the centre.

Officers from the authority were visiting the site yesterday for further talks with the group, who have always denied they are squatters.

A police spokesman said the dispute had so far been a civil matter and the force would only become involved if reports of crime were received, or if the council raised concerns about public safety.

The centre, near Mitcheldean, was shut in August last year amid wide-ranging budget cuts.

District councillor for the area Ian Whitburn (Ind, Mitcheldean and Drybrook) said: "I don't think this spring gathering is a welcome development, I would say it's probably asking for trouble."

He added: "To be fair to the people who are up there, they have been peaceful and seem to be taking care of the place.

"Everyone I know who's come into contact with them has spoken very highly of what they are doing.

"In an ideal world, we would all like to live like that. But the county council wants it run properly."

The council is in talks with another group, Friends of the Wilderness, who want to buy the centre and restore it as a leading education site. However, they need £1 million in pledges from the public to realise their plan.

A statement on Reclaim the Fields' website described the group as seeking alternatives to capitalism.

"Reclaim the Fields is a constellation of people and collective projects willing to go back to the land and reassume the control over food production," it said.

"We are determined to create alternatives to capitalism through cooperative, collective, autonomous, real needs-oriented small-scale production and initiatives, putting theory into practice and linking local practical action with global political struggles."

Nobody from Gloucestershire County Council was available for comment.