Hostel plans horrify locals PLANS to develop a residential hostel in Morecambe's Clarence Street have led residents to protest "enough is enough." With a needle exchange centre close by and another hostel already based in Clarence Street, residents fear the new hostel will attract trouble to the area. Householders claim their properties are unsellable and that they are plagued by harassment and nuisance.

"I have had to endure a nightmare summer of vandalism, harassment and disturbances from groups of youngsters," said one resident, who said locals were afraid to complain because of reprisals. "Clarence Street has become a dangerous and unpleasant place to live and the prospect of any further problems really is too much to bear. There was a murder here recently and I think locals deserve a break."

The new application involves changing the use of the property to supervised hostel accommodation.

A planning spokesman said: "We have an application which seeks to change five rooms of the property into a hostel, which is basically shared accommodation with someone taking charge. It's likely to come before the planning committee in March."

Concerned residents have given Morecambe's MP, Geraldine Smith, a tour of the street and she has spoken out against concentrating too many social agencies in small parts of the resort.

And an eviction order is being sought to evict a man who has barricaded himself into a property where a woman was recently murdered.

Added the worried resident, who also has an elderly relative living in Clarence Street: "It's falling into a shocking state but my warnings have gone unheeded. The council simply don't give a damn about local people as long as the ruling clique hold on to their power and privilege."

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