LACK of cash has forced Highampton residents to withdraw their legal challenge to stop a village nursing home being converted into a young offenders' rehabilitation centre.

Highampton Action Group has failed to raise the £50,000 needed to seek a judicial review of the planning permission granted by West Devon Borough Council in October last year.

But the group has vowed to fight on in less expensive ways to stop C-FAR (Centre for Adolescent Rehabilitation) taking up residence at Burdon Grange Nursing Home.

Around 200 letters of objection were submitted to the planning authority against the application from local residents who were concerned crime would increase and their properties would lose value.

Chairman of the action group Sandra Howell said Highampton was a very small village and raising the money was always going to be an uphill struggle.

'There are hardly more than 200 people living in the village and raising the cash was very difficult especially with residents, in the most part, retired,' she said.

'The legal action was not the only avenue we were pursuing — we have written to the Home Office and the Local Government Ombudsman asking them to look at the council's decision.'

She said residents were still strongly opposed to the C-FAR plans and would not give up the fight.

'We are still absolutely certain that the whole thing is completely wrong — what amounts to an open prison is not going to do the village any good and the village in turn has no facilities or anything to offer these people,' added Mrs Howell.

C-FAR spokesman Richard White said as far as the charity was concerned the threat of legal action was a knee-jerk reaction by the opponents after planning permission was granted.

C-FAR, based at Okehampton Camp for the past 18 months, plans to continue running eleven-week intensive 'life-change' courses for a maximum of 24 young male offenders between the ages of 18-24 once it relocates to Highampton.

The training courses are followed by nine months' mentor support and currently 61 per cent of trainees are completing the year long programme. Mr White said what was being done at C-FAR was 'safe, working and good' and he still hoped that in time local residents would accept the centre and engage with the trainees.

'The action being taken by the opponents is not affecting our plans to re-locate to Burden Grange and we are three quarters of the way to moving in,' he said.

C-FAR's pioneering way of dealing with young offenders is £10,000 cheaper than putting someone in custody for a year. Many of the trainees have gone on to college and university and some are in full-time employment and paying taxes.

The charity's good track record in Okehampton where it was supported by the police and members of the community was one of the reasons the planning committee voted to approve the application in October.