Fears have been expressed that wealthy pensioners from outside Devizes would snap up new homes for elderly people on the Wiltshire Council offices site in Devizes.

The council plans to close the offices in Browfort, Bath Road, and relocate to offices in Snuff Street built by Gaigers.

It has earmarked the Browfort site as a potential location for extra care housing, typically two bedroom homes for elderly people and with a warden and other support services on site.

At a meeting of Devizes Area Board on Monday night council officers said the Browfort site could accommodate 60 extra care homes. Tony Sedgwick, chairman of Devizes Community Area Partnership, said: “One of the problems I see of developers providing extra care homes is they tend to attract outsiders into Devizes. How can we tackle that to ensure it’s Wiltshire people who get this accommodation?”

James Cawley, service director for strategy and commissioning at Wiltshire Council, said: “Whoever builds extra care housing has to make a profit. We have to have a balance between that and what we want in a locality.”

He said the housing units would be a mix of 40 per cent for rent, low cost ownership and for private sale.

Simon Fisher, deputy town clerk at Devizes Town Council, said the rise in housing in Devizes had led to pressure on health facilities.

He said: “How are people going to get to hospital and what health care facilities will be in place?”

Mr Cawley said the council was talking to NHS Wiltshire about health provision for older people.

The meeting heard that Wilt-shire Council estimates the number of over-65s in the Devizes area could increase by 75 per cent by 2026 while the 85 plus age group could increase by 95 per cent and the number of people with dementia could rise by 65 per cent.

The Area Board agreed to set up a working group to consider proposals for extra care housing on the Browfort site as part of an older people strategy.