A VILLAGE community has accused the church of clandestine tactics after discovering the diocese is trying to sell land for housing behind their back.

Members of Gloucester diocese have admitted making plans to sell glebe land in Willersey which would make the small village 'bigger than Broadway'.

A meeting held last week saw Willersey Village Hall filled to capacity as PCC vice chairman Lord Geoffrey Dear asked residents to back them in their fight to keep the land intact.

Lord Dear has written to Gloucester's new bishop, Rachel Treweek, who takes her seat in September, after finding out that the diocese and land developers Savills and Gladman had been masterminding the sale of 35 acres of land known as Terrify, situated to the north of the village, since September last year. The PCC had not been informed.

A large scale development of 100 houses is planned which could also see larger belts of glebe land called Upper and Lower Marbrook, adjacent to Terrify, also put up for sale.

However, the diocese admitted to Lord Dear that 100 homes was only the start.

"The diocese secretary - Benjamin Preece Smith - told me once permission for 100 hones was given, then it would be difficult to refuse more and that Willersey could become bigger than Broadway," he said.

The Cotswold Local Plan identified that Willersey should have 85 new houses over the next 16 years, 75 of which have either already been built or have permission.

Lord Dear told the meeting: "The PCC was only notified of these plans on July 7 after being invited to attend a meeting on July 10 with the churchwardens, Rev Craig Bishop of Chipping Campden, the diocese secretary and representatives from the two land developers. The diocese secretary had been instructed to go out and sell glebe land because they (the diocese) needed the money," said Lord Dear.

He added that the diocese admitted knowing of these plans since September and had sent an ambiguous notice of intent to senior church warden Robert McNeil-Wilson on May 1 with a 21-day response time for objections.

"This notice was vacuous, it was deliberately meaningless and impossible to interpret their intentions," said Lord Dear.

He said Mr McNeil-Wilson had approached the village priest, Reverend Debbie Forman, for help to interpret it but she offered no explanation despite it being understood she was at a site meeting on May 18 called by the diocesan secretary.

Mrs Forman has not yet responded to clarification of this by the Journal.

Resident Dr Robin Woolven says he has already written his letter. "Talking to local residents, I heard the suggestion that the whole case and particularly the way it has been handled - or pushed through before the new bishop arrives - by the diocesan secretary, leaves suspicions of bad faith and of very poor administrative practice," he said.

Cotswold MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown was also at the village hall meeting. He said: "Prior to the public meeting I had taken these concerns up with the Caroline Spelman MP, Second Church Estates Commissioner. I will be asking the First Church Estates Commissioner, Sir Andreas Whittam Smith to put a stop on the whole process until the parish can be properly consulted.”

Cllr Lynden Stowe, Leader of Cotswold District Council and local ward member for Willersey who was also at the meeting added: “I’m right behind the people of Willersey on this. Eighty five more houses is quite enough for the next twenty years. I’ll be doing whatever I can to ensure that any Gladman/Diocese of Gloucester proposals to swamp Willersey with hundreds more are booted out.”

Lord Dear was due to have a meeting with the Archdeacon of Cheltenham this week. In the meantime he asked villagers to write individually to the bishop to voice their concerns.

A statement from the diocese read: "The Diocese of Gloucester informed Willersey PCC of its proposal to sell a portion of glebe in Willersey on May 1, 2015 via a formal notice, a process overseen by the Church Commissioners.

"Following the legal process, on 17 June the Church Commissioners approved that the sale of the site could go ahead. To date, the sale has not taken place.

"The diocese has been exploring planning permission options for this land regarding the possible development of 100 homes, an extension of the industrial site and the hope for additional community facilities. It is not in the diocese’s power to enforce development; that decision lies with the planning authorities.

"The Diocese is aware that there have been concerns raised since June and is keen to work closely with Willersery PCC to ensure that their views are heard. With this in mind, the Archdeacon of Cheltenham, the Venerable Robert Springett, met the PCC on Tuesday evening (25 August) as part of this on-going process.

He said: “I was pleased to meet with the PCC and listened carefully to their concerns. I look forward to a continued close dialogue with them as we seek to find a constructive way forward.”

The spokesman added: "The site at Willersey borders an industrial estate. This land is not greenbelt or an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Glebe land is an historic means of funding clergy and proceeds from sale may only be used to fund the provision of clergy."