PLANS to change staff accommodation at Camplehaye Residential Home in Lamerton to a care house for adults with learning disabilities have been turned down by West Devon Borough Council's planning committee. Planning permission was granted in 2005 for the manager's house on the grounds of exceptional need, but the committee was told it was no longer needed for that purpose because staff were now living in Tavistock and did not want to move. The recommendation by planning officers was to grant the proposal because they felt the use would not cause unacceptable harm to neighbour amenity. The building would provide accommodation for five residents. But members said even though the staff accommodation was not needed at this moment in time it could be in the future. Ward member for Lamerton Cllr Robin Pike said he could not support this application when there were people in his ward wanting to build affordable housing for their children and could not get planning permission because of council policies. 'This place is like topsy — it keeps growing and we could see another application coming in for staff accommodation if this one goes for another use,' he said. 'This would be a loss of staff accommodation that could be needed in the future.' Cllr Mandy Govier said it was unlikely that the elderly residents of Camplehaye wanted younger people with learning disabilities sharing their facilities. She said: 'I think this is totally ill thought out.' The councillor said she worked with people with learning disabilities and they liked to be in towns where they could go to the shops and cafes and have access to other facilities. There was very little they could do in Lamerton. But Cllr Dennis Bater said at care homes in Hatherleigh, vehicles were used to get the residents around. He added if anyone wanted to accommodate five people with learning disabilities they would not normally need planning permission - but because a condition was put on the use of the Camplehaye building, consent had to be given for it to change. Architect for the applicant, Tom Rogers, said the accommodation was intended for a number of staff who were foreign nationals but they had since integrated into the Tavistock community and did not want to be moved. 'People with learning disabilities need a degree of supervision but also a degree of independent living which we can provide here,' he said. 'They would have access to a hairdresser and other facilities at the old people's home.'