NEIGHBOURS of a landmark Victorian house are preparing to fight for its future once again after developers applied to demolish the building and replace it with flats for the THIRD time.

Campaigners launched a successful battle to protect Bedford House from demolition early last year and have vowed to do so again, after an application was submitted to redevelop the site in Bedford Road, South Woodford.

The strength of opposition to the scheme led to Woodford Green MP Iain Duncan Smith wading in on the side of local residents - who complained that the plans were out of keeping with the local area and that South Woodford was already crowded with blocks of flats.

The proposals were turned down by the council in June on the grounds that the nine flats planned would be an 'overdevelopment' of the site and out of character with neighbouring buildings - and opponents now hope the authority will do the same again after developer L J Construction submitted a new plan for the same number of apartments on December 21.

Susan Brown, of Bedford Road, helped organise the campaign against the last scheme.

She said: "There's enough flats around here already. You only have to look at the number of empty ones at the Queen Mary's Gate site to see that they are not needed.

"We will obviously object to this.

"There was a planning application for flats turned down in Glebelands (Avenue, nearby) a few months ago on the grounds that there wasn't sufficient infrastructure in the area to cope. You would have thought the same would apply here."

These views were echoed by James Purnell, of nearby Cleveland Road.

He said: "You would hope they'd turn it down again. It's a very attractive victorian house, and it should be protected.

"If we're not careful this whole area will be turned into flats.

"We must protect South Woodford's character."

Lee Jose, owner of developers LJ Construction, said the new application was similar to the previous one except that all but one of the parking bays had been removed.

He said: "We have removed the parking, apart from a disabled spot, in line with the amenity space criteria set out by the council.

"The design is in line with the surrounding streetscape."

Mr Jose still plans to take the council to the ombudsman over what he claims was its poor advice and 'communication' during the initial planning stages of his previous application.