A campaign group fighting to save Aldenham Country Park from closure has failed in its plans to take over the running of the facility.
Members of the Friends of Aldenham Country Park (FACP) set up a charitable trust earlier this year, in the hope of taking over the management of the park, in Aldenham Road.
However, the group has blamed a lack of money for its decision not to enter a bid to Hertfordshire County Council, the deadline for which passed on April 18.
Despite failing to gather enough cash, the group has instead formed a company, Aldenham Country Park Trust Ltd (ACPT), which it hopes will work with the successful bidder in managing the site.
Clive Butchins, group secretary, explained: “We had hoped that we would be able to mount a community-based bid ourselves but this proved to be impractical.
"ACPT will be registered as a charity and Friends and ACPT will now await the outcome of the tendering process before, we hope, agreeing to work with the successful bidder and becoming active in raising funds to support the park for the benefit of the community.”
Despite backing from more than 1,300 people on a Facebook group, and several members of Hertsmere Borough Council, the FACP failed to gather its £80,000 target needed to launch a bid.
Friends chairman and Hertsmere Borough Councillor Pat Strack said: "We are of course very disappointed. We really needed more time to get the funding.
"Hopefully we will be allowed to work with the successful bidder to ensure the park is looked after."
News of the funding cuts, which will save the county council about £160,000-a-year, sparked a public outcry in November 2010.
At the first of several public meetings, in December, the Friends group was formed, and residents and businesses have since pledged more than £30,000 to the committee.
Councillor Strack added: "The majority of this money has been pledged, not donated. We will see if these people still want to donate and will look to assist the successful bidder with the financial burden of running the park."
Hertfordshire County Council decided to cut funding to the park, which attracts more than 200,000 people every year, to help make up a shortfall of more than £150million in its budget by 2015.
The authority says it received 12 applications to run the country park.
Officers and councillors will now draw up a shortlist before an interview process beginning in late May.
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