Benthall residents upset with church over land gazumping

A group of residents say they feel devastated after they were "gazumped" after agreeing to buy land from the Church of England.

They live by the area on Floyer Lane, Benthall, near Telford, Shropshire, and agreed a bid for the land.

But Laura Davies, from the group, said several weeks later they were told a developer had agreed a higher sale.

The Church Commissioners, who handled the sale, said by law, they had to get the best return for the land.

"I've been brought up Christian, and it hurts," Mrs Davies said.

"The people who you think should be there to protect you, guide you, are the people letting you down."

The land came up for sale earlier this year and the group decided to make a community bid and conserve it for nature.

They put in their life savings, Mrs Davies said, and were told they had bought the land.

But about six weeks later, their agent called to say they had been "gazumped" by a developer who wanted to build homes.

They were given the chance to rebid but Mrs Davies said they could not afford more.

She added: "What we questioned is that the church with their moral standing, how they could be involved in gazumping?"

The group said they would keep fighting and were investigating if the land could be registered as an asset of community value.

There was now a lot of uncertainty for residents, local councillor Dan Thomas said.

"Normally my advice surgery would get about one person. Here, on my last one, because of this, there were nearly 30 people there," he said.

The land borders the parkland at Benthall Hall, which the National Trust looks after and a spokesperson said they were concerned at any development.

"The land is home to some interesting and significant plant species. As such, it will be important to understand the impacts of the proposed development," they added.

The Church Commissioners is a charity managing the Church of England's investment portfolio.

A spokesperson said it understood the sale was "very frustrating" for the community and legal advice was taken on the bidding.

"The tender and bidding process run by our agents, was both full and transparent. We do not encourage 'gazumping'," they added.

The developer, Boningale Homes, has been approached for a response by the BBC.

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