Angry residents have lashed out at plans by Father Chris Riley to expand a service for troubled youths at Canyonleigh.
Fr Riley's Youth Off The Streets (YOTS) program is under fire from a section of the community who are adamant that early adolescent offenders housed in the area are to blame for rising crime.
Lack of consultation over the proposal to accommodate more off-the-rails youngsters - set to be determined by Wingecarribee Shire Council on planning grounds - has fanned the debate.
A letter recently distributed locally by a lobby group formed before Christmas claims neighbours of existing YOTS facilities are seeking "peaceful rural lifestyles", yet now are "purchasing more locks".
"They complain of clinical symptoms of anxiety and sleep deprivation," it states.
The fledgling Save Our Canyonleigh Society (SOCS) has noted that some locals have begun referring to the village as "Yotsville" due to the growing number of YOTS facilities.
The letter to residents, written by member Jennifer Manning, raised alarm at information taken from the YOTS website indicating that adolescents in the charity's care "engage in sprees of hundreds of break and enters".
Fr Riley has refuted SOCS' claims.
[Full report: SHN, Monday, January 9, 2006]
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