A TRUST has won a planning appeal to build detached houses on the last piece of charity land left to it to provide almshouses for the elderly.

The application by the Marshall and Browne Memorial Homes Trust to build four houses on the site at Whitchurch had been turned down twice by West Devon Borough Council for being out of character with the neighbouring development and over-dominant. An appeal two years ago was also lost.

But the latest appeal was granted, following a change in design and style of the houses to be more in keeping with the local environment, and the reduction in size of three of the homes.

The charity says the sale of the paddock off Marshall Road will help fund the completion of eight almshouses nearby and provide money for ongoing repairs and maintenance of the other six bungalows owned by the trust.

The bungalows are occupied rent-free by tenants over 60 who have lived in the parish for seven years and have suffered reduced financial circumstances.

The paddock was the last remaining piece of land from a bequest made by a local man, John Marshall, in memory of his wife, with the intention of providing homes for elderly people.

Ginny Davies, who lives near the site, said: 'It seems the trustees see the building of these houses as the only way of raising money to maintain existing trust accommodation and complete a sheltered development nearby.'

She said it was urgent that the trustees and other local people should explore every source of funding currently available before the land was lost permanently from John Marshall's bequest.

'With the continued increase in our ageing population, the safeguarding of this land for sheltered housing must be a priority,' she said.

Chairman of the Marshall and Browne Memorial Homes Trust Russell Woolcock said the trustees had investigated other funding sources but nothing had come to fruition: 'If anyone has any information of how we can get other money then please let us know.'

'This piece of land is currently earning us nothing but if we sell it we can invest the money and use the income to build the bungalows. Under the trust rules we can only spend the interest not the capital.'

Planning inspector Jessica Graham concluded that the proposed development would respect the character and appearance of the local area and meet local plan policies and have no adverse impact on neighbour amenity.

West Devon councillor Ted Sherrell said: 'Whilst I am disappointed the appeal was granted, I have not the slightest doubt that the borough planning committee's decision to refuse the application was correct.

'Indeed, the fact that the appellants — the trustees — unusually, were not granted costs would surely suggest that even in the inspector's mind arguments both for and against the application were finely balanced.