Scout leaders affected by a controversial village masterplan say they are 'deeply disappointed' at how their group has been treated.

The 59th Newchapel Scout Group's hut in Packmoor is facing an uncertain future due to Stoke-on-Trent City Council's plans to develop more than 800 homes on neighbouring land.

Newchapel Scouts have been based in Rainford Close, Packmoor for decades, leasing their building from the council.

But group lead volunteers James Cuadra and Matt Clutton say the council did not tell them about the plans being drawn up for Packmoor and how they could be affected – they only found out when they contacted the council about their lease.

This was after the group had spent tens of thousands of pounds on an extension to their building.

During the public consultation on the masterplan, the group was offered a short-term two-year extension to its lease.

Council leaders say now that a decision has been made to press ahead with the masterplan, they will speak to the group about their long-term future in Packmoor. And they insist that no final decision on the Rainford Close site has been taken.

But James and Matt believe their group, a long-established 'community anchor', has been treated poorly by the council.

In a statement, they said: "While we welcome the cabinet member's new public commitment to ensuring we end this process with a secure home, we remain deeply disappointed by how the city council has handled this situation to date.

"Our group has faithfully paid our land rent and served this community for decades, despite not having had a formal lease renewal since the year 2000. During that time, the council completely failed to consult or speak to us regarding their housing plans for the land we occupy.

"Furthermore, the council themselves approved planning permission for a major extension to our headquarters. Acting in good faith on that permission, we have already sunk tens of thousands of pounds of hard-earned, community-raised funds into laying the foundations.

"It is unacceptable that the council allowed a local youth charity to make this level of financial investment while quietly drawing up a masterplan that placed that exact land at risk."

Ward councillor Dave Mountford raised concerns over the Scout group's situation during a full council meeting.

Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for regeneration, said the group had been offered a two-year lease extension so as not to 'pre-judge' the outcome of the masterplan consultation.

He insisted that the group would not be forced to relocated without a 'properly negotiated settlement'.

But James and Matt said the lease extension offered by the council would leave the group with a 'precarious 24-month horizon', without statutory legal protections.

They added: "We are an established community anchor, not an afterthought. We look forward to holding the corporate property and housing development teams to the cabinet member's public promise of a 'properly negotiated settlement' that guarantees the long-term, permanent future of the 59th Newchapel Scout Group on our site and within our community."

The Packmoor Masterplan earmarks 24 hectares of council-owned farmland for residential development – football pitches used by Kidsgrove Athletic and historic 'ridge and furrow' land will be left as they are.