WEST Devon Borough Council members have given the go-ahead for the authority’s former customer service office in Okehampton to be turned into houses.

Members of the development management and licensing committee met on Tuesday and unanimously decided to support a proposal to change the use of the former office on St James’ Street to provide two homes.

The office closed on April 6 after the council said customer footfall was falling year-on-year. Customers used other methods to pay their bills or to contact the council.

The office closure and implementation of the cashless system would make a saving of £125,000 of taxpayers’ money each year, the council said. Staff employed at the Okehampton office have been relocated to Tavistock.

Planning officer Clare Stewart said that the item was being put before the committee as the borough council was the owner of the application site.

‘The current submission states change of use is proposed to form two dwellings. A previous notification for conversion to three dwellings was withdrawn.

‘One letter has been received which considers that adequate parking should be put in place before approval of more buildings in Okehampton town centre, where they consider parking and traffic is already at capacity.’

She added that the edge of town, where the office was sited, was slowly changing into a residential area and not commercial.

Okehampton Town Council had not responded in respect of the current proposal but had objected to the previous application for three houses on the site. The town council said in a statement as part of the officer’s report: ‘The building is in a secondary shopping position at the top end of the arcade, located between a shop and café. There is concern that conversion to domestic dwelling, removing it from this function, will have an economic downturn effect on the town centre, destroying the economic viability of the town.’

l Every Tuesday and Friday from 10am to 4pm the council sends its locality officers to the Ockment Centre on North Street, to offer an opportunity for Okehampton residents to meet borough council representatives face to face.