Food bank to stay as former school to become homes

A food bank in an east Devon town is set to stay at its base in a former boys’ school after the building is converted into three new homes.

The Victorian gothic style-listed building on Ottery St Mary’s Yonder Street, will be refurbished as part of plans to create three apartments, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The proposal, which was approved by East Devon District Council’s planning committee, will involve keeping a space for the food bank.

It is run by Ottery Larder and is opened for between two and four hours each day.

Dean Stewart, a director of Ottery Larder and the chief executive of Citizens’ Advice East Devon, said it helped about 500 people every week.

“The space offered after construction is about a quarter of what we currently have so we will keep the food bank there, but other aspects of our service, such as handing out free clothing for children and life-skills workshops, might have to move somewhere else in the town,” he said.

“We will be finding somewhere for all our services to be located during the work to change the former boys’ school, and we’ll be launching a campaign to find somewhere soon, but the food bank aspect will return to Yonder Street once the conversion works are complete.”

Use of part of the building as a food bank or alternative community purpose is a condition of the planning permission.

Planners decided that because the council was behind in its government housing targets, turning the former school into housing was acceptable.

There will be 10 parking spaces for residents and food bank users.