RESIDENTS living in a quiet residential road have slammed plans to build a set of 'live-work' units within yards of their homes, just months after fending off another application directly next door.

People living in St Albans Crescent in Woodford Green have hit out at the proposed development of two derelict garages in an alleyway running in between their homes and the High Road.

The garages are situated next door to an empty site, which has been the subject of four separate applications to build a three-storey development.

Stephanie Cruddace, 54, said: “We're extremely concerned about this because it's going to back directly onto our property.

“The access to the site is also very worrying. We have a garage at the back there and at the moment right of way is given to people who live here, but it looks like they want to establish a new right of way for people who are going to live there.

“We were told that the new buildings were not going to be any higher than the buildings which haven't yet been built, directly next to it, which is an extraordinary way of explaining it.

“They just seem to be determined to squeeze as much over-development on that tiny bit of land.

“We've contact our solicitor to see what the next step for us can be.”

Fellow resident Steve McKelvey, 60, said: “The thing that concerns me is the access. When they were knocking down the garages next door to these ones a few years ago, they weren't supposed to have lorries and trucks using the alley behind our house to get into the site, only the one from the main road, but they did.

“People had their car wing mirrors taken out, and they hit my trees a few times as well.”

Leslie Edwards, 87, said: “There are two things that concern me. Firstly that we're going to be overlooked by the new building, because anyone in it could see straight into our back garden.

“The other thing is that it's not a road, so how are people going to get access? It's going to mean more people and more cars in the area.”

A date has not yet been set for the council's regional planning committee to consider the application.

The Guardian has approached the developers for a comment.