Elderly residents at Offers Court sheltered housing flats in Devizes have spoken of their shock and anger that the scheme is to close.

The news was a bombshell to the residents who had expected to live out their days at the flats in Southbroom Road.

Anchor Trust, which owns and runs the 29 flat scheme, held a meeting with residents and relatives on Tuesday morning where the news was broken.

Bennie Avons, 92, has lived at Offers Court for four years having moved back to her home town from Norfolk.

She said: “At my time of life I shouldn’t be shoved around like this, it is shameful.”

Mrs Avons thinks she will look for new accommodation in Norfolk or Peterborough where family members live.

Pauline Stuttard, 78, has lived at Offers Court for 12 years and said she was considering an Anchor scheme in Chippenham to be nearer her grandchildren.

However she said: “I have so many friends here, I go to clubs in Devizes and I am very upset that Offers Court is to close.”

John Randall, 46, of Devizes whose 75-year-old mother, Jean, lives in Offers Court, said: “This closure is being driven by balance sheet requirements and I’m staggered at the lack of communication over this.”

The London based housing association said the 30-year-old building is too expensive to renovate to modern standards and it has become more difficult to let the studio flats, of which there are 23. It plans to sell the building with vacant possession.

It said residents would be entitled to financial compensation but they said they did not want the upheaval of moving somewhere new and were concerned that there would be nowhere available nearby.

Some of the Offers Court residents are younger but they too are upset by the closure.

Sue and Robert Ellis, both 59, only moved into Offers Court two months ago from Trowbridge.

Mrs Ellis, a volunteer with Age UK Wiltshire, said: “We have just finished redecorating our flat and we are gutted that we will have to leave.”

Mrs Ellis has been looking at Anchor schemes in Poole where she used to live but out of four schemes there was only one flat available.

Helen Orford, regional manager at Anchor, said: “We have carried out a thorough review of Offers Court, taking into account its age, location, design and ability to attract new tenants in the future. Sadly, we have concluded that we have no alternative but to close the scheme.

“This was a difficult decision for us to make as we know it will worry and upset our tenants. We are now focused on ensuring that they and their families face minimum disruption.

“We will work with them closely over the coming months to help them find alternative accommodation and we will do all we can to support them practically and emotionally as well as compensating them financially.

“The scheme will not close until every tenant has been offered suitable alternative accommodation that meets their needs.”

Sarsen Housing Association said this week it does not have any vacancies in its sheltered housing schemes in Devizes but there were four vacancies at its scheme in West Lavington.