Defeat for neighbours as Army family hostel is given the go-ahead

Neighbours had protested against the facility close to the Headley Court Hospital in Ashtead, Surrey, saying that it would ruin the tranquillity of the area.

Servicemen's families "would not be welcome", said protesters, and their arrival could "destroy the area's character".

Local authority officers backed the residents on the grounds that the facility would "adversely affect the quiet and peaceful nature of the surrounding area".

But now Mole Valley district council has given the go-ahead for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association to use the £1.7 million six-bedroom house in Grays Lane for short-term accommodation for up to 12 relatives at a time.

The association said it was "delighted" by the decision.

Spokesman Athol Hendry said: "We would like to extend our thanks to the huge number of people who have publicly supported our application. We are enormously grateful to each and every one of them.

"The SSAFA passionately believes that our servicemen and women deserve to be respected and valued, and that their families should have our full support at all times."

Shadow Defence Secretary, Dr Liam Fox said: "This is great news for forces families who require all the support the country can give them at such a difficult time.

"We owe our servicemen and women a great deal for the sacrifices they are making and the least we can do is support their families."

Conservative MP and former infantry commander Patrick Mercer, who himself was treated for serious spinal injuries at Headley Court, said: "I'm delighted that the scheme will go ahead.

"Headley Court is a superb establishment, and it would have been a disgrace if the facilities for wounded soldiers and their families to be denied by narrow-mindedness like this."

Since the Daily Mail revealed the row last month, public backing for the home snowballed into a major campaign.

Mole Valley Council was inundated with hundreds of letters of support, while some 40,000 people signed an on-line petirelativestion.

High-profile supporters included serving and retired senior military commanders, Government ministers, MPs and veterans' campaigners.

Headley Court cares for dozens of Service personnel badly injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Troops are nursed back to health, often learning to walk again with artificial limbs, and hospital managers say the presence and support of close is a vital part of the rehabilitation process.

But a shortage of accommodation at the site means that many families have to pay for hotel accommodation or make only brief visits.

Yesterday the head of the British Army threw his weight behind the SSAFA's plans.

General Sir Richard Dannatt said: "At the very least our soldiers should always expect the nation, the Army and their commanders to treat them fairly, to value and respect them as individuals and to support them and their families appropriately.

"The aspiration of SSAFA to provide a residential facility for visiting families at the Defence Rehabilitation Military Centre at Headley Court will make an enormous contribution to this process."

During a visit to Headley Court last week, Defence Minister Derek Twigg said he was "saddened" by the objections, and added that the scheme was "vital" to the hospital's work.