Residents of a Sandbach housing estate have expressed alarm following the sale of local green space land.

At least two parcels of land along Lawton Way were sold at auction last month.

The land at the end of Dee Close was explicitly sold "with the view" of erecting two bungalows on the site.

The land by Dane Close sold for £38,000 while the plot at Dee Close fetched £62,000.

The potential development has sparked opposition from neighbouring residents and ward councillor Kathryn Flavell, who says that both parcels of land have been designated as an 'open space' within the Cheshire East Local Plan.

Because of this, Cllr Flavell said the prospect of the council granting permission for development on the sites is "extremely unlikely".

She told Sandbach Nub News: "The area has a high proportion of elderly people with a lot of bungalows. It's a really nice, quiet estate and it's just totally unsuitable for building."

A planning appraisal document that accompanied the Dee Close listing on the auction website says that the land was subject to a "pre-application enquiry" in 2019.

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A section of the document listed as 'development potential' states: "The council raised concerns in relation to the impact such a development would have upon the character of the area and that it resulted in overdevelopment of the site.

"The council considered the parcel of land, as a grassed area with trees, to provide a sense of openness to the residential area."

Despite acknowledging the council's view, the document goes onto state that the site is considered to have "potential for residential development in principle, subject to overcoming the concerns raised by Cheshire East".

Cllr Flavell claims that the land seller has "misled" potential buyers by "suggesting this land is suitable for development".

She added that the buyer had told residents that they intend to build on the land and apply for planning permission retrospectively- a move Cllr Flavell would seek to block.

While the original builder, E. Fletcher, owned the land in question, Cheshire East Council, and Congleton Borough Council before it, have maintained the larger green spaces since the 1970s.

In an update to residents on Facebook, Cllr Flavell said: "I raised the issue with Cheshire East and the portfolio holder and a letter was sent from CE stating the status of the land."

Cllr Crane, the council's cabinet member for highways, noted that the matter involves events from "decades past" and will not be "quickly resolved".

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She said: "Legal have advised that we cannot easily make a case for adverse possession as the areas of land have not been fenced off or otherwise taken control of. Maintaining them alone does not give us easy grounds.

"We have sent a letter to the auctioneer and interested parties to advise that this is contentious land and may be subject to claim by the council should we be able to find historic documentation to show that this land should have been transferred to the council after the estate was finished."

Cllr Crane added: "Anyone buying this land will probably find themselves the owners of a patch of land with no potential for development."

Of immediate concern to residents is the felling of trees, with one mature tree being cut down on a smaller piece of land.

"Unfortunately, the tree wasn't protected and as it was his land, he could do that," Cllr Flavell explained.

One option local people are considering is establishing a residents' association to purchase any other parcels of land that come onto the market and maintain it for the community.

Cllr Flavell added: "I will continue to do all I can to preserve this land for the benefit of residents, as far as my limited powers allow."