Stockbridge residents have said that the sale of an affordable home in the town is “depriving people in need”.

Aster put a retirement bungalow in The Milsoms up for sale in January, following its last resident moving out. Stockbridge residents said that the town “has a very limited supply of affordable housing”, and raised concerns that the rest of the block could also be sold.

However, Aster said that the bungalow needed “significant work” and that it was more cost effective to sell the property and use it to fund new housing in Kings Somborne.

The bungalow, at Seven The Milsoms in Stockbridge, was listed for sale on Rightmove at a guide price of £235,000 at the end of January. The two-bedroom building backs onto the Test Way and Stockbridge Marsh.

The property has already sold, subject to conditions, with the former resident having moved out. Stockbridge residents however, have called for the property to be used to house elderly residents in the town.

“Stockbridge has a very limited supply of affordable housing for rental and I aware of several people on the waiting list for this type of property,” said Derek Hale. “There’s two people that I know who are both on the waiting list for housing in Stockbridge because there are very few properties in the area that are neither private rental or private homes.

“In terms of affordable housing there’s very, very little, so that [the sale] surprised me.”

He said that the town’s reputation for affluence meant that larger rents were being charged, beyond that vulnerable people could afford.

“Stockbridge is perceived as being an affluent sort of village but there are still a considerable number of people who are in need,” he said. “Not everyone can afford to buy a house or indeed pay the private rents being asked for!”

He raised concerns that the house’s sale could be the start of a “slippery slope” towards the selling off of other affordable housing in the area. There is no suggestion this is planned by Aster.

“How long will it be before that whole block is in private ownership?” he asked. “It’s got an enormous garden and I think that someone might come in with a massive new extension, but equally it’s depriving people in need.”

In response to residents’ concerns, Aster said that the property was being sold as a result of costs needed to modernise it, and that three new properties for the area would soon be built in Kings Somborne.

A spokesperson for the company said: “We regularly review the homes we own to make sure they meet the standards we expect. We recently carried out a review of 7 The Milsom in Stockbridge and found that it needed significant work.

“Because of the repairs involved, it is more cost effective for us to sell the bungalow and use the money from the sale to build new affordable homes in the region.

“We’re pleased that we’ve recently been granted approval to build three new affordable homes in Eldon Road, Kings Somborne which will provide affordable housing for the Stockbridge community.

“We always consider housing need in the local area before we sell a property and we won’t sell it if demand for this particular type of housing in the area is high.”