The town council owners of the Totnes war memorial have so far refused to veto massively controversial proposals to shift the memorial despite protests from townspeople whose relatives are named on the monument.

Instead the councillors are encouraging people to write to them to make their feelings clear over what should happen to the war memorial which has stood on its current site in front of the town centre St Mary’s Church for the last 97 years.

Many relatives of the war dead named on the memorial have already made it clear that they feel site of the monument is sacred ground and it should never be moved.

Totnes Town Council has signed up to the partnership which is looking at a major £3 million project to repair St Mary’s Church and re-shape the historic area of the town stretching from the High Street to the Guildhall – which includes proposals for a new look ’Place to Remember’ which involves moving the war memorial.

The council is also considered to be the owner of the war memorial, revealed town clerk Catherine Marlton.

In the face of a growing row over the future of the memorial, some councillors have declared that the town council should make it clear that it would respect the wishes of the relatives.

But the council agreed to do nothing at the moment and instead called for people to write in or contact the town council via email or social media to make clear their views on the controversial issue.

Ms Marlton told town councillors: "We are already receiving emails and letters of concern and support."

And she said that all communications regarding the memorial would be passed on to every town councillor.

The town council, the Totnes Trust and the local parochial church council are all partners in the project which will be going out for a second round of public consultation later this month and early in March.

The trust recently organised a meeting with the relatives of those named on the memorial who mainly supported the project but unanimously opposed moving the memorial.

They made their voices heard again at the town council meeting where Kim Grey - who has a relative named on the memorial – pointed out that the War Memorials Trust was opposed to the proposal.

She made it clear that for the relatives of the war dead who never came home the war memorial was effectively their war grave and protested at any plan to move it just because it was in an ‘inconvenient” spot.

Former Totnes mayor Vera Harvey, who has two great uncles named on the memorial pointed out that the relatives were “totally against” the move.

“No one can see the reason for moving its except that it is inconvenient for what is planned for the square,” she said.

“For many this memorial was their loved ones final resting place and to move it would be like moving a grave.”

Cllr Ben Piper said the town council should get the message across to the relatives that “we hear you”.

And he added: “What we hear is unanimous opposition to something that is far more emotive than anyone might have thought. I don’t think we should be ambiguous about it.”

And Cllr Andy Simms declared: “It is only right that we should respect the families over everything else. We should support their feelings and support their wishes.”

However Cllr Judy Westacott said the town council should wait to listen to comments from the community and any alternative proposals that might come forward.

“We should just wait until we are asked to come up with a decision,” she added.