A row has broken out over a plan by Christ Church Walmersley to sell off land for a housing development involving 42 homes.

As an increasingly bitter campaign is waged to halt the proposed deal, said to be worth £1.1 million, allegations have emerged of anonymous and malicious letters being sent to members of the Parochial Church Council (PCC).

There have also been claims that “false and misleading” information has been spread. One poster is said to claim the proposed development will be home to “druggies, alcoholics and drop outs”.

Affordable Homes Consultancy and V9 Developments, who are working in partnership with Great Places Housing Group on the proposed development, say they are taking legal advice on what they say are “inaccurate, inflammatory and potentially slanderous” statements.

Chairman of Christ Church Walmersley PCC, Canon Ian Stamp told the Bury Times: “Despite the rather hysterical response, inflammatory statements and often abusive anonymous letters, I am content that what we are proposing is in line with my Christian principles.”

The row centres on proposals to sell off a field next to the church in Springside Road for the building of 42 homes, of “mixed tenure”. Money raised will allow Christ Church to upgrade its hall to provide a community facility.

But the move is being vigorously opposed by the Friends of Walmersley Village which has already staged three public meetings over the issue. They say they have the support of around 1,000 residents.

Friends Chairman Mr Paul Denney said: “What has angered the people of Walmersley is the lack of Christian concern for its own parishioners. They claim to promote the interaction between the church and the local community for mutual benefit. Sadly, this is not the case. We offered to generate alternative ideas and the church accepted.

“We worked hard to get some attractive, workable proposals to put on the table, only to be told that they now don’t want to talk to us.

“Our plan would generate more funds than the sale of the field and would unite the people of Walmersley behind the church. Yet, they have turned their backs on this and the local people. Where’s the sense in that?”

Responding to the claims that “malicious” letters have been sent to PCC members, Friends of Walmersley Village spokesman Steve Tillbrook said: “We don’t go along with that sort of thing. It’s not what we’re about. And the response to the plan isn’t hysterical but balanced. People are very angry about the way the church has treated them.”

Defending the proposed land sale and housing development, Canon Stamp said: “The church at Walmersley has been trying to sell the land for some years and that has been fairly common knowledge. Selling land of this size is never a completely open process; you just don’t put up a ‘for sale’ board because the local authority place conditions on how the land is developed should the sale proceed.

“In consultation with the local authority it became clear that a mixed development was preferred, so we had to have a potential buyer who could provide that. I believe it is a Government directive that developments, wherever possible, should be mixed and Bury is keen to have more affordable houses particularly for young couples who are finding it hard to get on the housing ladder.”

No planning application has yet been submitted to the council.