An order of monks which lives in solitude is at the centre of a controversial plan to build £3 million-worth of executive homes on its country estate.

The 24 monks from the Carthusian order at St Hugh's Charterhouse Monastery desperately need the money to carry out essential repairs to their Grade II listed 19th Century buildings.

The monastery is one of only two English-speaking Carthusian houses in the world.

The French chateau-styled monastery, built in 1877, is severely affected by rot, damp and a leaking roof.

The monks' way of life has remained almost totally unchanged since the order was founded in 1150 by St Bruno but they have proved willing to try new ways of raising funds, including releasing a CD of religious songs.

Their buildings have previously been maintained with match-funded grants totalling about £1.5 million from English Heritage but the order has now run out of money and cannot apply for more funds.

The order now wants to build 16 homes on some of its 250 acres in the West Sussex countryside to pay for the repair work.

The trustees for the monastery have proposed to build the detached and semi-detached executive homes next to the village of Littleworth, near West Grinstead, around a newly-created village green.

But residents oppose the development, saying the houses would be "out of character" for the small village, which only has one main road.

The trustees also want the houses to be built as far from the monastery as possible, because the order believes it has to be as separated from the outside world.

John Warren, spokesman for the order, said: "Basically, the whole building needs a thorough overhaul and the new homes will raise £3 million to pay for it.

"The site near Littleworth was chosen because it is the best site on the monastery's estate as it attaches to an existing community.

"It would be wrong to scatter such a development around the countryside.

"The local authority advised the parish council of the proposal at an early stage, so residents' views were taken into account through that process."

Denise Baldwin, clerk for West Grinstead Parish Council, said: "We object to this plan because Littleworth is a small hamlet and the development would be totally out of character.

"There are much more suitable places on the monastery's land to build the houses and raise the money.

"All of the people in Littleworth object to the plan but the trustees don't want to listen.

"Access to the village is already a problem because there is only one main road and more housing will only create a traffic problem."

Horsham District Council has refused to give planning permission for the scheme, which is now being considered by the Planning Inspectorate.

It will announce whether the plan should go to a public inquiry after January 31.

The Carthusian order moved to West Sussex about 100 years ago, after experiencing a growing secular movement in France when a number of religious houses were forced to close.

Each monk has his own house on the estate, where they live under strict conditions.

Their austere lifestyle is regarded as a high form of Christianity, mirroring Christ's experiences in the desert.