A handful of residents in Bloemendaal, one of the Netherlands’ wealthiest towns, have blocked plans to set up a hospice in a large detached villa, threatening to go to the highest court in the country if it goes ahead.

The property was owned by wealthy businessman Theo Eicholtz and when he died, the family thought it would be a kind gesture to allow the local Hospice Haarlem charity use the building rent-free for 20 years.

It was short of space and had told a local paper it had to turn down half the requests it received for help.

“A quarter of the population of Bloemendaal is over 65 and 20% of them are widow or widower. That means they have no one at home who can care for them,” a council spokesman told the Telegraaf.

The building, with its own secluded driveway and ample parking space, was a “fantastic gift”, hospice director Pauline Jäger told the paper. It would have six beds for the dying and four for their relatives to stay over.

An information evening for locals generated a lot of support, but not from everyone. A small group of residents living on the leafy Midden Duin en Daalseweg protested. The area, they said, was residential and companies were not allowed. They said they could be disturbed by bedside lights and that children may see people who were dying. They were also concerned about hearses coming and going.

Some protestors even threatened the charity with taking it to court, and said they would go as far as the Council of State if it pressed ahead with the plan.

The charity has now thanked the Eicholtz family for their offer but said they cannot deal with the legal costs and the negative energy. The family and town council have pledged to help the charity find and pay for a new location.

In the meantime the house is up for sale for €5.8 million.