DELIGHTED residents cheered a council’s decision to throw out plans to build a controversial hostel in a town centre.

HFHA Group Ltd’s applications to turn Cygnet House in Windmill Street, Gravesend, into a 48 bedroom hostel or hotel, were rejected by Gravesham councillors at a regulatory board meeting.

Members of the public packed the council chamber to make their feelings against the plans known.

They feared that people staying at a hostel could lead to an increase in crime and disturb residents living nearby.

On behalf of affected residents, Sean Cadogan, of Victoria Avenue, Gravesend, told the meeting on Wednesday: “We aren’t considering control measures required for a Travelodge or Ibis hotel, we are considering measures required to control and protect local residents from a high density accommodation block which social housing consider to be inadequate.

“(The applicant) states that they are aiming the hostel at the backpacker market.

“I’m a Gravesend man and I remain unconvinced there is a great demand for backpacker accommodation in Gravesend.”

He added: “The associated crime and anti-social behaviour which will inevitably result from these proposals will have dire consequences for the local area.”

Sitting on the board, Councillor Lee Croxton said a hostel would be “something of a carbuncle” for Gravesend.

He said: “We may well come to rue the day we ever had this sort of development in the heart of a town centre.

“The local community has every right to expect councillors to support them and say this is undesirable on planning grounds and law and order.”

A Kent Police report looked at crime associated with a hostel in London, managed by Journeys Hostels, the franchise that would have run the hostel at Cygnet House.

Police found that from January last year to June this year, there were 36 reported crimes connected with the London hostel, compared with 66 from all hotels and hostels in north Kent combined.

Speaking at the meeting in defence of HFHA’s application, Darren Bland said: “London and Kent have significantly different crime levels.

“The crimes were due to the hostel’s environment, and the environment in London has a higher crime rate.

“Thirty-six crimes in one year would equate to three per month, which I’d suggest is significantly less than what would occur in the town centre.”

The battle over Cygnet House began in April when council inspectors found HFHA was creating dormitories with shared facilities, despite only having planning permission for a 60 bedroom en suite hotel.

The council got an injunction to prevent the hostel opening without permission, which was then overturned by a High Court judge because HFHA submitted a planning application.

Residents living nearby have opposed the hostel since April, when HFHA advertised it online as £9 a bed and due to open in May.

They have protested outside Cygnet House, currently a block of empty offices, and sent letters of objection to the council.

The application was then deferred in June after the developer had failed to comment on how it expected a hostel or hotel would affect crime and safety in the surrounding area, leaving Kent Police unable to respond to the application.