One Cromer resident was close to tears as she pleaded with the four men before her to reject a small boarding house in her Sydney northern beaches suburb.

At a packed meeting of residents with Warringah's development assessment panel, Lisa Walsh nearly broke down as she said: "You would not like a boarding house next to your home."

Residents protesting a boarding house gather in Cromer. Credit:Facebook

There was standing room only at the council chambers on Wednesday night as locals opposed to the affordable housing project of just eight units made a last-ditch effort to have the proposal overturned.

The $670,000 boarding house would house up to 16 residents under NSW's affordable housing laws, but attracted 800 submissions to the local council objecting to the plan.