Up to 60 people have held a protest in east Belfast following the emergence of plans to sell off shops partly owned by the Church of Ireland Primate Archbishop Robin Eames.

Anger has been sparked as local business people have claimed that they will not have enough funds to successfully bid for the properties in the Ballyhackamore region. The fear is that bigger commercial businesses and owners could take over the area, and destroy the local businesses in the community.

Jason Shankey, who owns a barbers shop, said they were hoping to have talks with Archbishop Eames in the New Year.

He told the BBC, "He (Lord Eames), like anyone else, has the opportunity to sell his properties at whatever price he wants to. But the problem for us is that we were not consulted about the sale, and five of the seven shops here are actually near the end of their leases.

"Unfortunately, the way the bidding is going, it is really only a property developer who can afford the property at the level of offers at the moment."

Archbishop Eames, 69, who is the head of the Church of Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh, has said he is retiring at the end of the year on 31 December.

However, Frazer Kidd, the estate agents looking after the sale, said that any future purchaser would have to honour the existing leases, according to the BBC.

This is not offer too much comfort to tenants though, as they point out that this guarantees their survival only as far as October 2007.