Campaigners hoping for parliamentary support in their battle over the steam railway office block in KIngswear, which has provoked fury in the village after building began without planning permission, could be facing disappointment.

Dartmouth's MP Sarah Wollaston has warned there is little she can do to get directly involved in the office block row.

The MP is in Kingswear today to look at the building and talk to furious campaigners who want to see all work on the now almost complete offices halted.

But even before the meeting due to go ahead at Kingswear's Steam Packet pub at 4.30pm she warned: 'As an MP I have no say over planning.'

But she said that at the very least she hoped to go away with lessons learned about safeguarding the planning policies nationally.'

And she added: 'So many people have written to me about Kingswear and the right thing to do is go along, look for myself and hear specifically what their concerns are.'

The row is centred on the two-storey office complex being built by the Paignton-based Dartmouth Steam Railway and Riverboat Company at its railway station at Kingswear.

The complex – now nearing completion – has been built without planning permission because the company claims it does not need any planning go ahead because as a railway owner it is exempt as long as the building is on railway station land and part of the railway operation.

The Kingswear Action On Rail and Riverboat Development group – which has already raised a petition of almost 1,000 signatures opposing the building – is furious that the development has been allowed to go ahead without planning permission and claims it has wrecked views across the Dart from Kingswear.

Campaigners have been backed up by Kingswear parish councillors in an appeal to South Hams Council to order work on the building to halt, launch an independent legal investigation into the planning position and force the railway company to seek planning permission.

The campaigners are hoping to enlist the support of Totnes MP Dr Wollaston following today's meeting.

But Mrs Wollaston made it clear before the meeting: 'I have to go and see it to see for myself if it is as bad as people say.

'Can I stop it happening as an MP? No. MPs do not have power under planning.

'This is an issue for local government to decide.'

She added; 'It is not right for national politicians to interfere in something that is rightly a local issue for local politicians and planners but if there are lessons to be learned and taken back on how draft planning policy is formed then that is something important for me to do.'

The Chronicle has contacted the Dartmouth Steam Railway and Riverboat Company for a comment but at the time of going press had received no response.