Plans for a night shelter to stay open year-round have been met with concern from railway station staff who say they are facing intimidation and antisocial behaviour from users of the site.
Workers at King's Lynn Railway Station have written a letter pleading for action to tackle the issue due to problems being caused by a "small minority" gathering at the station to drink alcohol.
They worry these incidents are creating a "negative effect" on the atmosphere and image of the town and called for the management of the shelter to tell its guests that the station is "strictly out of bounds" for anyone other than its customers.
It comes as plans have been approved for the shelter on Blackfriars Road to open into the summer months, where previously it only operated between November and June.
The shelter offers 24/7 accommodation and also provides food and other services to people in need.
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At a West Norfolk Council (WNC) planning committee this week, Derek Williams spoke on behalf of people living nearby and said their quality of life is being affected by an "unprecedented" rise in antisocial behaviour in the area.
But Lucy McKitterick, manager of the shelter, said that guests of the night shelter were being "unfairly blamed" as being responsible for issues such as street drinking and drug taking that are a general problem across the town.
She added that of the 12 guests who use the site, many are women escaping abusive relationships.
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While acknowledging the concerns of locals, councillors spoke in support of the vital service the organisation offers.
But members were also eager for more to be done to tackle the antisocial behaviour issues and called for more cooperation between partner agencies such as the police and drug and alcohol services.
The plans were approved unanimously with a condition put in place for a crime and disorder management scheme to be developed in conjunction with other agencies such as the police.
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