Families on Oxford's Rose Hill estate will be consulted over the future use of a former sheltered housing block, now being considered for homeless people.

Stephen Field House already has permission in principle from Oxford City Council's executive committee to be converted into first-stage accommodation for people off the streets.

But Graham Stafford, of the council's housing management business unit, told the council's Iffley Leys Area Committee meeting in the Rose Hill community centre that, despite having been asked to report back to them, he and his colleagues had made no progress on the issue.

Councillor Ed Turner said local people felt they had been promised that the old building would be refurbished. He said: "There's tremendous strength of feeling on the estate about this. It's a real worry if it's going to be (used by) a vulnerable client group." Fellow councillor Bill Buckingham spoke out strongly about other pensioners' sheltered accommodation which was in dire need of refurbishment and was being overlooked.

"We shall fight this tooth and nail," he said.

Mr Stafford said, following further investigations, Stephen Field House might still need to be a sheltered housing block. But he stressed the council had a requirement to house the homeless.

He said: "The vast majority of (homeless) people go through our system without any complaints."

But he added: "We need more well-run and well-managed accommodation."