Last Wednesday work got under way to build flats for the homeless on the Aycliffe estate.

Work begun just under a week after the organisation behind the scheme, the Home Group, hosted a meeting with councillors and residents.

It was held at the Aycliffe Church Centre in Old Folkestone Road.

Becky Wright, the capital development project manager for the Home Group, issued people with question-and-answer leaflets about the £1.35 million development.

She said: “Some residents had heard that it was going to be an ex-offenders service, house sex offenders or be a drug rehab service.”

The group insists this is not the case.

But the Aycliffe Residents’ Forum treasurer Ron Wright expressed dissatisfaction with the way the meeting was conducted.

Mr Wright said he was “denied access” to the meeting.

He said: “Local residents who had questions to ask were barred and told to go outside the gates. Is this what the Home Group call being open and transparent?”

Ms Wright responded: “We invited 29 of the households closest to the development to our first communication meeting.

“We focused on these households as they are the ones likely to be affected by construction work, and will become neighbours of the service.

“The vast majority of those who attended said they found it useful and informative.

“We invited almost 50 people, including councillors, residents’ forum members, police and Home Group staff to the Aycliffe Church Centre, which is a small venue.

“We felt the forum chairman and vice-chairman were more than capable of representing the forum, and inviting a third member would have added little to discussions while taking an invite away from a householder.

“We’ll look at inviting other householders to future meetings.”