 The Estate was given to the trust by the Astor family in 1942 |
A controversial plan to build homes on a National Trust property have been approved by government. John Prescott's office said it does not object to the trust teaming up with a developer to construct 135 retirement homes on the Cliveden Estate.
Opponents claim the trust is betraying its duty to the countryside, while the the trust says it needs the money to keep the Berkshire stately home open.
A different plan for 191 ordinary houses has been appealed by the trust.
No objection
The development would take up 15 acres of the site on the border of Berkshire and Buckinghamshire - an area currently occupied by the derelict Canadian Red Cross Memorial Hospital.
The council turned down the ordinary homes plan, which was the trust's preferred option.
They already had outline planning permission for the retirement - or age-restricted homes proposal.
This plan was referred to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister which has said it will not raise any objection.
Last year several residents of nearby Taplow joined the National Trust in order to protest at its annual meeting.
The estate was donated to the National Trust by the Astor family in 1942.
Since then, the trust says a large backlog of repairs have built up, and without a secure source of funding, the estate would continue to deteriorate.
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