The Church of England has denied that it is seeking to cash in on fracking, as the Church Commissioners registers its rights to minerals in the ground beneath land it owns with the Land Registry.

Under the Land Registration Act 2002, landowners have until October to assert their rights over mineral rights. The Church Commissioners has applied to register these rights, applying to land totalling 500,000 acres.

The Land Registry has been sending letters to residents saying the Church has a legal claim to benefit from any mines and minerals under their land.

Residents on land owned by the Church Commissioners have told the Telegraph that they are concerned that the Church’s actions are linked to future fracking projects.

However, the Church Commissioners has insisted that its move has nothing to do with fracking. A spokesman said: “Since 2004 the Church Commissioners have been working to register their mineral interests in line with the government's Land Registry requirements, as any responsible landowner is doing before the end of the October 2013 deadline.

“This does not create any new interests or rights and is confined to properly registering what the Commissioners have in most cases owned for many years, and in some cases for centuries.”

The Land Registration Act dates back to the Norman conquests, which gives “lords of the manor” rights to the earth under property on their former estates.

However, one resident, who has recently received a letter from the Land Registry on behalf of the Church Commissioners, told the Telegraph: “It’s a bit of a coincidence that this happens when people are talking about fracking.”

A Church Commissioners spokesman said: “This is simply an exercise to protect existing rights and interests made vulnerable by the change in the law. There are no particular plans to mine under any property. The focus is registration and protection.

“There is absolutely no link with fracking.”

In a separate statement, Philip Fletcher, the chair of the Church of England’s group on mission and public affairs, said: “The Church of England has no official policy either for or against hydraulic fracturing (known as 'fracking'). However there is a danger of viewing fracking through a single issue lens and ignoring the wider considerations.

"There are a number of balancing considerations which need to be taken into account when coming to a view. Fuel poverty is an increasingly urgent issue for many in society - the impact on energy bills is felt most by the least well off. Blanket opposition to further exploration for new sources of fuel fails to take into account those who suffer most when resources are scarce.”

Fracking has hit the headlines in recent weeks as residents at Balcome protest against drilling for oil by energy firm Cuadrilla in the area. 

Fracking - or hydraulic fracturing - is a technique designed to recover gas and oil from shale rock. Protestors fear that Cuadrilla will use this technique following the oil drilling.