Calls for homeless 'super hostel' are criticised

Steven Wakefield said a hostel would be a "more cost-effective" use of the defunct Delaware House

Calls for a former library to be transformed into a "super hostel" to house homeless people have been branded as "completely inappropriate".

Delaware House, in Shoeburyness, Essex, is being sold for £2.6m by Southend-on-Sea City Council, which is run by a Labour-led coalition.

Steven Wakefield, an Independent councillor who represents the Shoeburyness ward, suggested it could be used to house homeless people in one place.

James Moyies, a Conservative councillor for the West Shoebury Ward, said the idea had left him needing time "to recover".

The suggestion sparked a series of concerns from other councillors about "concentrating" people who are homeless in one place.

Delaware House is being sold  for £2.6m by Southend-on-Sea City Council

Mr Wakefield said his plan would be a "more cost-effective" use of the site, found at the junction of Maplin Way and Delaware Road.

"We have lots of hostels scattered across the town," he said.

"It would be a better idea to bring all the hostels to one site, apart from the women’s hostel."

Following the meeting on Thursday, Mr Moyies said the concept was "completely inappropriate".

"It’s not a good site for a super hostel to bring all the potential challenges of putting people into one condensed area in the middle of west Shoebury.”

Delaware House formerly housed a library, blood test clinic and a nursery.