A scheme to open a care home for troubled teens in a sleepy South Hams village has been withdrawn in the face of local opposition.

Last week’s front page story reported on a planning application by the Cambian Group to turn a house in the village of Wrangaton into a four or five bedroom home for teenagers in care.

But following a public meeting and 45 letters of objection sent to planners at Dartmoor National Park Authority, the company says it has now drawn a line under the plan.

Cambian sent out the following note to residents and Ugborough Parish Council: "This is a short update on the acquisition of Quillet, Wrangaton and further to the meetings that we have held locally.

"After much consideration, we have decided to withdraw from this purchase. Consequently the planning application for change of use of the property will be withdrawn.

"We aim to ensure that all children in our care feel safe and supported in their home and community, this is one of the essential elements of a successful residential care home, that it is supported by the local community. Our consultation during the planning process highlighted that there was an amount of discomfort about the prospect of a residential home opening in Wrangaton.

"We feel such concerns are unfounded, and for the children who will have already had challenging lives this would not be the right environment for them to grow up.

"We will now seek an alternative location for the home putting the best interest of our children first."

In the application, the Cambian Group described 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 were raised by the company’s statement that it had chosen Wrangaton as it offered "a calm and tranquil environment without any of the unwelcome distractions that are often found in urban environments".

Residents were concerned about the possibility of crime and antisocial behaviour as a result of the new arrivals, and worried that they would no longer feel safe in the village. There was also scepticism over the projected figures in the application for the number of vehicle movements that would be generated by the home.

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

But on reflection, the company subsequently decided to abandon the scheme. It will now look elsewhere for a new home for vulnerable youngsters in need.