Residents' fear over parking and privacy

Residents say they are preparing themselves for more traffic problems when a disused scout hut is replaced by flats.

They also fear their privacy will be compromised when the 24 flats, in two linked four-storey buildings, are built on the corner of Sandhurst Road and Sandhurst Close, in Newfoundpool, Leicester.

The flats will be next to the new Michael Lewis House and Gimson Villas developments which have 58 flats and were completed earlier this year.

Property developer Jamie Lewis is behind all the developments, and said any existing parking problems will be eased in the future.

The scout hut used to be home to St Anne's 90th Leicester Scout group but had been empty for nearly three years since the group disbanded.

It was put up for sale by Leicester City Council last September after becoming a magnet for vandalism and litter.

The flats proposal attracted 40 letters of objection and highways officers said the provision of 12 car parking spaces fell way short of the 26 that would normally be required for a development of that type.

The city council's planning and development control committee approved the scheme on the recommendation of planning officers.

Sandhurst Close resident Linda Halford said neighbours feared the development would create a safety hazard.

She said: "It's only a little road and people are already double parking and parking on the kerb, so we can't see when we pull out.

"Not only that, but we do not want 24 flats facing us."

Councillor Peter Coley, ward councillor for the area and leader of the city's Liberal Democrat group, has backed residents' concerns.

He said: "There are a lot of things wrong with this application. There is traffic chaos at the moment caused by vehicles parking all over the place."

However, planning officers said the "overbearing impact" of the development would only affect a "very small number of properties".

They said the combined total of 32 parking spaces for 82 flats would be sufficient as the developer argued only one in three tenants would own cars.

The plan was approved on the condition building work starts within three years and the car park was opened before any of the flats were occupied. Developer Jamie Lewis said parking problems would be eased when the car park to the flats at Michael Lewis House and Gimson Villas was finally opened.