RESIDENTS are angry they have not been consulted over a notorious rehabilitation hostel opening in their street.
The West Pier Project has gained a reputation in recent years due to disruption at both its previous residences in Regency Square, Brighton, and Seafield Road, Hove.
Now people in Hereford Street in Kemp Town worry their lives will be affected next after they discovered – by chance – plans for the hostel to move in to Hereford House.
Emma Roth, who lives in the street, said: “We’re all really angry – there’s been no consultation at all. The Queen’s Park area is already full of drug addicts and my next door neighbour was burgled by a sex offender last year.
“If these are the kinds of people who will be using these facilities, we don’t want them here.”
The hostel, which rehabilitates recovering alcoholics and drug addicts, moved out of its original home in Regency Square at the end of 2015 after 15 years of complaints from neighbouring residents about disturbances to homes and businesses.
Emergency services were called out more than 700 times to the hostel when it was in Regency Square, with hotel owners complaining of the damaging impact on their trade.
The hostel moved to Seafield Road in Hove earlier this year – but this was only a temporary fix as the property owners did not have planning permission to convert the building.
It is unclear how long the West Pier Project hopes to settle at Hereford House but Ms Roth told The Argus the owner of the Kemp Town property did not have planning permission to convert the building.
She said the residents of the street had not been told about the public consultation being held on Wednesday and that they only found out about it by chance.
Brighton and Hove City Council said it had been working hard to engage with residents. A spokesman said: “On our behalf, the Trust for Developing Communities has been proactively engaging with the community by speaking and listening to residents at local resident groups.
As a former care home, Hereford House is perfectly suited to providing the very important care and support these vulnerable people need and will also have improved accessibility for the residents.
“There have also been no reports of antisocial behaviour at the West Pier Project for at least 18 months.”
Article originally appeared on The Argus
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