King's Lynn night shelter will stay open despite objections

The railway station said a minority of guests at the shelter (pictured) were involved in anti-social behaviour

Plans for a night shelter to remain open all year round have been approved despite concerns from a nearby railway station.

King's Lynn railway station in Norfolk, which is managed by Great Northern, wrote in a letter that a "small minority" from the shelter gathered at the station to drink alcohol.

The night shelter manager said its clients were being "unfairly blamed".

The shelter has previously only remained open November to June.

In the letter to the Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk, the railway station said incidents were having a "negative effect" on the town and called for the management of King's Lynn Night Shelter to tell guests the station was "strictly out of bounds".

At the planning committee on Monday, Derek Williams spoke on behalf of people living nearby and said their quality of life was being affected by an "unprecedented" rise in anti-social behaviour.

Lucy McKitterick, manager of the shelter, said issues such as street drinking and drug taking were a general problem in the town.

She added that of the 12 guests who used the site, many were women escaping abusive relationships.

Councillors acknowledged local concerns but praised the work of the shelter, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

They voted to approve the plan unanimously, on the basis that a crime and disorder management scheme was put in place working with other agencies, such as the police.