Villagers are up in arms over plans to turn a house into a residential care home for nine to eighteen year olds.

The change of use application to turn Quillet, a home in the quiet village of Wrangaton into a four or five bed home for children in care has met with fierce opposition from residents, with 33 letters of objection sent to planning authority Dartmoor National Park.

Opponents of the scheme are alarmed by the prospect of troubled teens being introduced into the peaceful village. Applicants Cambian Group describe the home’s future residents as coming from "a variety of backgrounds, often from previous placements that have broken down due to a lack of appropriate support".

And alarm bells have been raised by the company’s statement in the planning application that it has chosen Wrangaton as it offers "a calm and tranquil environment without any of the unwelcome distractions that are often found in urban environments".

In an attempt to address residents’ concerns, Cambian Group arranged a meeting this week in the Old School Community Centre in South Brent. Around 20 villagers turned up, and a Cambian spokesman said afterwards the company would "make sure" their concerns were fully taken into account.

Residents are concerned about the possibility of crime and antisocial behaviour as a result of the new arrivals, and worry that they will no longer feel safe. Many objectors also doubt claims made in the application that the care home would generate only 8 to 10 car journeys per day, and point out the property is on a blind double bend in Wrangaton Road, which is much used by cyclists and horse riders.

Mrs J French wrote to DNP to object. She said: "The property is located on a quiet, rural lane frequented by more horses than vehicles. The estimated increase in traffic makes reference to the numerous deliveries this type of commercial property would require so I firmly believe there would be a significant increase in traffic which would be detrimental to the area and it’s residents.

"Furthermore most of the residents are mature or elderly people who have worked long and hard to enjoy a peaceful rural life, I believe this proposal would impact on their quality of life in that the more elderly in the community would feel intimidated."

Martin Gilbert added: "How can a quiet, rural village with no community amenities, and no links to transport be deemed a suitable location to "integrate young people into society". Absolutely ridiculous."

Others say a "fear of crime" has been instilled in them as a result of reading Cambian’s plans.

In the application the group said: "The home will provide a comfortable and homely environment with the added support of care service, namely through a therapeutic approach that is focused on the community, nature and horticulture, hence the reason the homes are generally located in rural locations.

"Cambian have already identified the children to occupy the home and they are ready to move in as soon as possible.

"Rural settings provide a calm and tranquil environment without any of the unwelcome distractions that are often found in urban environments. It is important for the young people to feel safe and supported, and it is well documented that being close to nature and animals is beneficial to a person’s wellbeing and recovery.

"Cambian pride themselves on creating an environment that is akin to a family home, rather than operating institutions, the whole idea is to create a safe and homely environment that the residents feel comfortable in, to eventually progress onto independent living. Therefore we are of the opinion that based on the way the home will be used, there will be no impact on the amenity of neighbours."

Group business development director Jeremy Wiles said: “We welcomed the opportunity to meet with local residents and listen to their concerns regarding our proposed care home in Wrangaton. We will make sure that these are fully taken into account as we determine our next steps for our proposal.

“We develop services ideally to meet local needs as we are doing in the case, we would hope that as such this would be a local service for local children."