Furious residents are battling to block a bed and breakfast for homeless people, planned for South Acton.

A planning application for the shelter, currently a vacant public house in Osborne Road, was submitted at the end of March and could be discussed at the next planning meeting on September 5. Ealing Council would be responsible for paying the rent of guests at the establishment.

Ealing Defend Council Homes, a borough-wide group committed to retaining and improving council housing, opposes the plan.

Chairwoman Lucia Otto said: "The council has a statutory duty to address homelessness. The project under review will not tackle this real problem but only line the pocket of a private landlord."

She added: "Services to the surrounding area cannot meet current need so no further demands should be put on them until the council has dealt with the present shortcomings."

"All London boroughs are faced with this acute shortage of rentable housing. South Acton has been neglected and we need plans to look forward. It's totally inappropriate to introduce private, profitable projects which put more pressure on the area."

And John Gashion of South Acton Residents Action Group, added: "We're talking about what was a very small pub. The planning application talks about accommodating 41 guests in 17 rooms. This is too many people for this one site if just from a safety and hygiene point of view."

One of the applicants, Raj Pandher, refutes this. He said: "These people have the right to object but I had an environmental officer from the council and also someone from the homeless department viewing the site before we applied for planning permission. We planned accordingly after consultation with them and then submitted."

He added: "I feel very strongly about the homeless population and I want to aid the community while longer term solutions are found."

By.Mark Choueke