The family of a man at the centre of a murder investigation have expressed their opposition to plans to increase the number of ex-offenders living in a town.

Jason Orwin died after being attacked in Bower Place, Maidstone , in July.

Opposing plans to extend the Fleming House bail hostel in nearby Tonbridge Road, Mr Orwin’s mother, a neighbour of the facility, wrote: “It is a national disgrace that these offenders are mixing with our children. There is a primary school at the end of Bower Lane.”

According to the Probation Service, emergency services are regularly called to the town centre hostel, which houses violent and sexual offenders.

Although no detailed data has been released, documents submitted in support of plans to extend Fleming House reveal that emergency services are called to the site "less than once a fortnight".

The main reason emergency services would be called is to support with the recall of residents to prison.

Last week Christopher Hatcher, who was staying at Fleming House after release following at attack on a woman in Hythe, was jailed once more after attacking a 19-year-old woman in Bower Place while in breach of his curfew at the hostel.

Currently the Tonbridge Road facility - officially know as an 'approved premises' - has room to house 31 occupants and is run by the National Probation Service on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

A planning application submitted to Maidstone Borough council outlines proposals to demolish an existing garage and storage buildings, making way for the erection of the new housing .

If approved the extension to the property would have rooms for 11 people, with additional kitchen facilities, showers and an interview room.

Jonathan Purle, Conservative councillor for Bridge ward, is opposing the expansion plans and has written a lengthy submission to the planning committee outlining his objections.

He said: "The main issues concern the impact of nuisance and crime generated by Fleming House on our part of town.

"The evidence for this is clear and is consistent across sources. Whilst the applicant cites the supposed contribution of approved premises to community safety, if this exists at all it is a 'macro' benefit across the region achieved by transferring and concentrating risk to us by gathering high-risk offenders from across the region and releasing them into Tonbridge Road.

"And whilst the applicant cites the controls they have in place to mitigate risk, it should be clear that these are not effective, that much of the control acts after the event and after harm has been done."

"The measure ‘less than once a fortnight’ implies circa 25 incidents per annum. This is not a low incidence of trouble.”

Commenting on the expansion plans, a Probation Service spokesman said: “Approved premises such as Fleming House protect the public by ensuring offenders are closely monitored after their release from prison.”

News of the plans has prompted people living nearby to express universal opposition in responses to the application, with scores of neighbour comments submitted to the council objecting to the plans.

One neighbour said "Speaking as a young single woman living alone I already feel uncomfortable that this establishment is so close to me, I also have a very young son and we pass this establishment daily so not only do I worry about my own welfare, I worry for his too.

"I don't feel comfortable walking around my area come nightfall, obviously this gets a lot earlier come the winter months."

Other neighbour comments in opposition to the plans refer to people loitering in the area at night and people opening taking drugs.

Fleming House is staffed by the probation service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and staff carry out regular drug and alcohol testing, welfare checks and room searches.

A Probation Service spokesman said: "Approved premises such as Fleming House protect the public by ensuring offenders are closely monitored after their release from prison.

"We are expanding these across the country to reduce the risk of reoffending and the modest extension of Fleming House will help improve safety in Maidstone."

• Lance Colston, 36, is charged with Mr Orwin's murder and is expected to claim self defence but will formally enter a plea in December. Oliver Watts, 33, has pleaded not guilty to assaulting Richard McConnaghie causing him actual bodily harm in connection with the incident. A trial is due to begin in January and is expected to last a week.

The planning application can be viewed by clicking here

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