The small, $670,000 boarding house in Cromer, which would house no more than 13 residents under NSW's affordable housing laws, has attracted a whopping 800 submissions to the local council objecting to the plan.

Among the fierce dissenters is the principal of nearby Cromer Public School, Maureen Gray, who lodged a personal submission against the proposal, as well as writing extensively about the boarding house in school newsletters.

A complaint has now been lodged with the Department of Education about Ms Gray's conduct and her use of school and taxpayer resources to further the campaign against the boarding house, including her support for the group "Save Cromer".

The concerns about the development raised by locals most often refer to the potential safety implications for the public school's 788 students who may be exposed to "transients" if the units are built on Grover Avenue.

But some have been more forthright in their objections.

In an online submission to Warringah Council dated August 25, Samantha Mapp wrote: "My kids will be walking past this house twice a day without supervision in the next few years and I don't trust the type of people staying in boarding house.

"Most are filled with ice addicts, heroin junkies, paedophiles and jail birds. Please stop this from happening asap [sic]."

Other residents appear to also believe there is a link between boarding houses and paedophiles.

"This area is simply not suitable for a boarding house and I fear for the safety of our children," Ulrike Kohn wrote in her submission.

"Not only because there is no control over who will be living there (pedophiles???) but also because the children might be exposed to drug/alcohol related problems."

Others said the development would be "out of character" with the area.

The primary school's parents and citizens association has requested a crime risk assessment.

But Shelter NSW says the residents and the school community have misunderstood affordable housing.

"The new boarding houses are basically small flats without the parking," executive officer Mary Perkins said. If the dwellings fall under the current laws, they are simply designed to be rented at a lower cost than surrounding housing, she said.

The idea they would one day be home to junkies and paedophiles was "rubbish", Ms Perkins said: "That just sounds like prejudice."

She said people needing affordable housing were "normal, everyday" types, including lower-income workers in newsagents and supermarkets, and young people studying or training as apprentices.

The median house price in Cromer is over $1 million.

Town planner Matthew Benson, who is working for the developers, Crystal Hut Pty Ltd, lodged the complaint about Ms Gray with the education department.

"An allegation that boarding house residents are likely to be a threat to children amounts to an allegation that boarding house residents are likely to be paedophiles or abusers of children," he wrote in the letter.

"Ms Gray's letter promotes prejudice towards people in the community based upon the type of accommodation that they live in. It promotes the alienation of such people from the community and engenders their stigmatisation."

Fairfax Media attempted to contact Ms Gray at the school this morning, but a school representative later called back and directed questions to the department's media unit.

A spokesman for the department said: "The matter has been raised with the Department of Education by a member of the public. The Department is looking into the matter."

A public meeting about the proposed development is planned for this coming Saturday on the school's grounds.

Residents will be able to voice any concerns at a council meeting the following Wednesday.