RESIDENTS spearheading a campaign to stop a homeless shelter being built on their doorstep in Fareham have vowed to fight the plans all the way.

Homeowners in Gosport Road say they are outraged that plans to convert a former pub into a shelter have been recommended to Fareham council, despite handing in two petitions and over 50 of letters of objection.

Now they are preparing for a planning showdown at this week's meeting that will see councillors vote on whether to approve the application.

Dennis Steadman, a resident of Gosport Road for 31 years, said: "We are certainly going to fight this, but we have said hysteria will get us nowhere. We have got to argue this on planning grounds.

"But above everything else, we are concerned about the sort of people who will be in there and the safety issues surrounding that.

"Residents are just furious with this application. We didn't even get told they were planning to change the use of it, let alone convert it into a homeless shelter."

The application is to move the shelter from the current premises in Kings Road in central Fareham to the disused property in Gosport Road, where it will accommodate 16 homeless people.

In the report recommending the move to the Planning Development Control Committee, officers say concerns over a rise in crime and the safety of children are unfounded.

It states that all clients using the shelter are assessed and also sign up to an agreement that is enforced by the management.

Public meetings have also been held over the proposal by Eastleigh Housing Association and Two Saints, who manage the current shelter, to address the concerns of residents.

Local campaigner and supporter of the homeless shelter Christopher Hill said: "The facility is a much needed one and run very well. It provides somewhere for people to go to get back on their feet who are going through a really bad time."

However, neighbours of the shelter in Kings Road said they would not be sorry to see it go.

Father of two Alan Gale, 45, said: "I understand the genuine cases but not all of them are and, despite what is being said, it isn't nice to see them hanging about and drinking outside."