PLANS to sell a church hall in Great Sankey may have hit a problem after campaigners opposing the sale have successfully applied for the ground to be listed as an 'asset of community value'.

Members of the 10th Warrington (St Mary's) Scout Group and Felicia Burns Dance School, who use St Mary's church hall and the surrounding land, were shocked and upset when it was put up for sale with no warning.

But it is understood the latest change in status means the seller needs to take into account the two group's interest in the land.

A youth organisation had been announced as a preferred bidder for the site but church officials are not revealing the name through fear campaigners may influence the new buyers.

The potential deal means the church hall will stay but the scout hut will be flattened to build a car park.

The scout group owns the hut but not the land and has been holding weekly beavers, cubs and scouts meetings at the site for more than 55 years.

It is thought the impact of a potential sale will affect hundreds of children in the area with many parents appalled at the way they have been treated by the church.

Ian Skilling, group scout leader, said: "The church did not talk to us until they had already made the decision to sell and refuse to acknowledge that we have any right to be there or that they have any responsibility towards the scout group.

"We suggested a way for them to resolve the situation to the benefit of all parties but they have not even acknowledged this formal written proposal or given us any response.

"We wish to talk to this bidder so that we may discuss some sort of compromise but the church will not allow us to contact them."

Richard Massey, from Felicia Burns Dance School, said they had put in an offer to buy the hall but have been kept 'completely in the dark'.

He added: "It's a difficult time as there has been an awful lot of uncertainty.

"We still haven't been officially contacted by the church or given notice of any kind.

"The only call we have had was to say our offer hadn't been accepted.

"We're going to do everything we can to stay there."

A spokesman for St Mary’s Great Sankey Church Council said: “We have been open and fair in the way we have conducted this process which saw a number of high quality proposals.

"We have gone out of our way to recognise the long term use by both the scouts and dance academy giving them plenty of notice of our intentions.

"We understand the scouts’ disappointment that we could not secure a bidder that would allow them to stay on the land and we will be speaking to them over what we can do to support them in finding and moving to appropriate accommodation.”