Councils are spending millions of pounds dealing with planning applications for car parks and even beach huts which falsely claim to be for village greens, a new report shows.
The Local Government Association (LGA) said planning rules were being exploited, with "vexatious" claims hitting taxpayers and preventing new affordable housing and job creation.
Campaigners can argue any piece of land is the village green if they claim it has been used for sport or recreation for over 20 years, said the LGA.
Councils are keen to protect genuine village greens and pieces of community land in local areas, but a high proportion of applications are simply used as delaying tactics to prevent new affordable housing or much needed regeneration, claimed the report.
Recent cases included a site proposed for "village green" status in St Austell, Cornwall, which included beach huts and a car park, and a residents group in Beadnell, Northumberland which placed a "village green" application on a brownfield site which had been used for storing fishing nets.
David Parsons, chairman of the LGA's Environment and Housing Board, said: "Councils are keen to protect genuine village greens and community land in their neighbourhoods. However, the idea that a beach hut or car park constitutes a village green is clearly ridiculous.
"The right balance needs to be reached between looking after genuine village greens and the provision of affordable housing, services and jobs which local areas badly need. Councils are reliable and can be trusted to perform this function effectively.
"Unfortunately, millions of pounds of taxpayers' money is currently being spent by councils processing 'village green' applications whose primary aim is to prevent development.
"Councils are ready to transform and regenerate local areas, but these long delays are preventing job growth and new affordable housing in our local communities."