THE actions of a developer wanting to redevelop the Youth Hostel Association's national headquarters in St Albans have been branded as 'shameful'.

Developer Nicholas King Homes wants to convert Trevelyan House into new homes, but refused to increase its £20,000 offer towards providing affordable housing in other parts of the district at a meeting of the council's planning committee on Wednesday.

The developer was criticised by St Albans district councillors at the meeting for its 'derisory offer'.

Councillor David Enright said: 'For the developer to come here and offer us £20,000 as a contribution towards social housing is just shameful.

'This scheme is to fund elite housing in the city centre, but we all know the problems of finding affordable housing in this district.

'The developer should make some contribution to the local community and I think the developers have pushed the rules to the limit with this application.'

Councillor Dreda Gordon added: 'We're talking about a prime site in the city centre which would be a good place for social housing to be provided.'

Nicholas King Homes, which proposes to convert Trevelyan House into five flats, build seven houses and a block of ten two-bedroom flats in the grounds, and turn the stable block into a five-bedroom house, does not want to build affordable homes on the site.

Under the council's planning guidelines, any development larger than one hectare should comprise 25 per cent of low-cost housing.

But there has been disagreement between the council's planners and its estates surveyor as to whether the locally listed Victorian building is on a site of more than one hectare because much of the area is covered by trees and not suitable for development.

Members voted to grant the application, but the social housing offer of £20,000, which had already been refused by a planning sub-committee earlier this month, was withdrawn.