Almost 100 homeless people could be moved to Rickmansworth as part of the council’s cost-cutting scheme.

Three Rivers District councillors approved a proposal to replace a community centre with temporary accommodation for up to 88 homeless people, in Bury Lane.

The decision has upset residents who say they were not consulted and said the decision was discussed in a “cloak and dagger” manner.

The council, that is currently paying for homeless people to be accommodated in bed and breakfasts in Slough and Luton, said the 22 apartments will save it up to £750,000 a year.

It was approved at a Policy and Resources meeting on September 12 and a planning application is likely to be submitted in early 2017.

Rickmansworth resident Nina Hosking said: “Residents were never consulted about this and the way they went about telling us was very ‘cloak in dagger’.

“The council claims these apartments are for families but they are all one-bedroom and I don’t believe them. They don’t look like the type of place you put children.

“It will be single homeless people and with Wetherspoons down the road I can already see what the consequences will be.

“Already the high street is full of men drinking all day long. Rickmansworth doesn’t have a problem with homelessness; we have hardly any social housing here. It doesn’t seem like a fitting place to accommodate them.”

She also expressed concern about the appearance of the apartments and the fact they will be built in a conservation area. They are modular homes which means the apartments are pre-fabricated and slotted together.

She said: “They are essentially shipping containers and they are very brightly coloured. They are also going to be built in a conservation area.

“They do not fit in with Rickmansworth, they look better suited to an inner city environment. I can’t believe they are considering putting these in a conservation area.”

However, Three Rivers District Council leader Sara Bedford has claimed the accommodation will only service families from the Three Rivers area.

Because the accommodation is temporary and residents are not expected to live there for more than 18 months, a one-bedroom apartment can legally house up to two adults and two children.

Cllr Bedford said: "At present there are 67 local families who have lost their homes through no fault of their own.

"Providing this temporary accommodation in Rickmansworth will enable over 20 of those Three Rivers families to live close to families, friends, jobs and schools, in good quality accommodation until permanent homes can be found.

"This will also save the council hundreds of thousands of pounds in money that would otherwise be paid to landlords, making this a win-win situation for all residents.

"Before any development could go ahead, the council would need to go through the normal planning process."

She said the modular homes were “well designed” and that council planning officers believed they were "suitable" for the area.