A Labour councillor has questioned the future of a contentious hostel for the homeless, accusing the district council of misleading residents who resisted its building.

Open to homeless young people aged 16 to 25, the hostel, in Gosforth Lane, finally opened its doors in June after a bitter planning dispute lasting more than two years.

Many nearby residents questioned the need for it and raised fears about the impact its residents may have on the community.

Three Rivers District Council eventually granted planning permission, but only after imposing a string of strict conditions.

Owners Aldwyck Housing, however, are now seeking to remove two of these conditions in a bid to simplify the application process and expand the potential number of residents by removing the age restriction.

In its application to the council Aldwyck argues that without the changes the scheme will become “unfundable.”

Disgruntled Hayling councillor Kerron Cross, however, said the application cast doubt on the need for the project and effectively represented a tacit admission that it was failing.

Councillor Cross, who objected to the building of the project, said: “The whole reason they pushed for this in the first place was because of the alleged lack of provision for homeless young people in the area.

“Now, just a few months later, it appears there’s not enough of them to fill it.

“Aldwyck now seem to want to turn it into another branch of their housing portfolio. What’s to stop them coming back in a few years time and arguing they need more places for homeless people. We could go through this all again.

“People all around South Oxhey were against this development in the first place.

“All three Labour councillors were against it but the Lib Dems (who hold majority power at the council) pushed it through at every stage, saying we needed it. It seems they have lied to the people of South Oxhey.”

However, Aldwyick representative Catherine Dow denied Councillor Cross’s claims, saying 11 of the hostel’s 12 rooms were currently occupied.

The attempt to change licensing conditions, she added, was a technical matter aimed at improving the running and future stability of a service that was making a difference to the lives of young people.