Devon residents halt probation hostel plans

Devon probation service’s plans for a new £600,000 bail
hostel in the Devonport area of Plymouth have been blocked by local
residents.

A lengthy campaign against the 32-bed hostel persuaded the
trustees of the private estate which owned the land to enforce
long-neglected restrictive covenants, which stopped the
development.

Building the hostel would have meant demolishing Devonport
police station.

The present hostel is located some distance away, and probation
officers felt the new location would better suit their needs.

Trevor Dunkley, assistant chief probation officer for Devon,
said: ‘I am obviously disappointed that this situation has arisen,
particularly as we still feel the site was ideal for our needs.

‘We have a duty to the courts to supervise people on bail and we
welcome the offer of constructive dialogue with city councillors
and officers, while we continue to look for another site in the
city.’