Retailers in a village high street are backing a protest against plans to build a retirement complex beside a much-loved conservation area.

Developers McCarthy and Stone have put forward proposals to demolish the four homes in Hempstead Road, Kings Langley, and replace them with 40 flats.

Six businesses have signed a letter, which was a follow up to a petition signed by 1,200 villages and supported by Hemel Hempstead MP Mike Penning.

The letter reads: “We believe that one of the many reasons customers shop and do business in Kings Langley is that they want to spend some of their leisure time in a small, green and leafy village, and that if the planning proposal goes ahead - along with other proposals for large-scale house-building - it will permanently damage Kings Langley's rural character.”

The Kings Langley high street shops which signed the letter include Pendley Estates, Oscars Pizza, Cinnamon Lounge, The Dresser, So Soft Furnishings and Total Flooring.

Sue Hawkins, the owner of So Soft Designs, said: “It is leading to overdevelopment and it will not be a village.

“There is not the infrastructure to support more people, whether they are old or young.”

Paul Rees, who has spearheaded the campaign against the retirement village, added: "The simple fact is that many businesses believe that protecting Kings Langley's status as a village, with its unique look-and-feel is good for business, as many people shop in Kings Langley thanks to its green and rural character."

A spokesperson for McCarthy and Stone said: “We have been pleased to receive positive feedback from a number of local businesses that we’ve spoken to, who welcome the extra trade that more people moving into Kings Langley would bring. For them, having a thriving and busy village high street is important.

“Research produced by the Institute of Public Care (IPC), in March 2014, shows that the total expenditure generated by our homeowners in the local economy is £670,000 per year, £125,000 more than a general needs housing scheme. This research has shown that a typical retirement living development generates significant economic and community benefits, including job creation, new investment and improved social welfare for local older people.

"This is throughout the development process, with local construction workers being employed, who tend to use local services throughout the day, to elderly residents who live in the development preferring to use local shops out of convenience and comfort. Indeed, over 75 per cent of our homeowners use local shops and least once a week."