Residents of the Alexandra Road area in Devonshire were left seething last night at what they saw as "unbelievable arrogance" on the part of Housing Minister Ashfield DeVent.

Spokesperson Albertha Waite said residents were appalled at Mr. DeVent's apparently dismissive and disrespectful attitude towards them, particularly as he was "forced by the media into admitting he broke his promise and did not consult with us".

"We're on fire up here," she stormed.

"How dare he imply that we are not sympathetic to all those in need of housing. How dare he puff out his chest and arrogantly refer to us as 'those people' and tell us that we are in the wrong.

"We have been nothing but respectful and open to him from the very beginning. How can he claim that he knows we are opposed to a housing development in our neighbourhood when he hasn't even spoken to us? We have never said yes or no to the 20 units he is proposing.

"And the reason it took us five weeks to get back to him is that we were waiting for him to meet us and consult as promised and we were giving him the benefit of the doubt. Only when we realised he was serious about submitting the plans did we get together and send a letter.

"He admits that he didn't consult with us in front of the media and then has the audacity to claim we're in the wrong and to attack our integrity.

"Well, we're all absolutely disgusted. Apparently promises don't mean anything to him."