The land was due to go on auction on Wednesday, March 12, but it had been pulled from the website beforehand.
Auction House North West confirmed that the land had been removed and said they had been asked to remove it because of a delay with the legal pack.
They said it may be listed again in the future.
Cllr David Wilkinson said: “To put it mildly, it looks like a complete dog’s dinner. Who buys a road and a green with two massive trees in it?
“Hopefully we’ll be able to get some real information.
“I wouldn’t be surprised [if it’s relisted] because obviously someone wants to sell it, but this time make sure to dot the i’s and cross the t’s.”
The listing was removed before the auction (Image: Google Maps)
The land included part of the road of Wayfaring, three strips of land and two plots of land to the rear of 152 Manchester Road.
Residents were confused to see “for sale” signs going up on what they had assumed was council land.
Bolton Council confirmed that they did not own the land, although it is listed as an adopted road on their website.
A meeting of Bolton full council heard from Westhoughton councillor Deirdre McGeown.
She said: “There were significant concerns from residents of the Wayfaring estate when they found a for sale sign for an auction which showed the road and an area of land for sale.
“It had been used as public open space and has been maintained by Bolton council for 30 plus years.
“It came as a complete surprise to residents to find out that the land is not owned by the council.
“Given a review of all maintained sites was carried out around 2010 how did this site slip through?”
The green space in Wayfaring (Image: Newsquest) The description on the auction listing said the plots “appear to suit a variety of uses” such as amenities, parking and gardens.
It also suggested “small scale speculative infill development” could suit if the required permission was given.
(Image: LDR)
A spokesperson for Bolton Council said at the time that the sale would not impact the adopted highway and that the authority was not associated with the sale.
Replying to Cllr McGeown, the council’s deputy leader Akhtar Zaman, said: “It is unfortunate that incorrect details of land ownership occurred in this case.
“I certainly understand the residents’ concerns.
“Regrettably it is extremely difficult to maintain 100pc accuracy of land and property.
“Not all records and plans are registered with land registry.
(Image: LDR)
“Furthermore human error can occur which can result in incorrect records of land ownership.”
At the estate on Thursday, a for sale sign at the site had seemingly been ripped from the ground and appeared to have been dumped in nearby bushes.
Wayfaring in Westhoughton (Image: Newsquest) Have a story? Get in touch at eoin.mccaul@newsquest.co.uk
Chris and Tina Tennant have lived at Wayfaring for 30 years.
Their home is immediately adjacent to the land and a mature tree on it borders their rear garden.
(Image: LDR)
Chris, said: “This came out of the blue to us and is causing us worry.
“We were in blissful ignorance that it was privately owned, we had always assumed it was council land.
“The grass is mowed by council staff during the summer months and over the years they have dealt three times with overhanging, dangerous tree branches affecting our property by cutting them back.
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“To me it smacks of incompetence and has left us uncertain who to contact if there were any similar issues in the future.”
Another 53-year-old resident who has lived there for 14 years, said: “I saw the for sale sign and my initial thoughts were that it’s not a big patch of land, how much could you get on there?
“I hope it’s maintained as it is, it’s nice to look and and well used by people around here.”
