PLANS to build a massive block of flats that would dwarf' Teddington Library and wipe out protected trees' are causing uproar among residents.

Formerly the Paint Research Centre, the Waldegrave Road site would have a four-storey block of 58 flats and enough offices to accommodate 50 people.

Also causing concern is the lack of parking spaces in the plans. Only 49 parking spaces would be provided for the entire development, three of which would be allocated to the offices. There are also worries over two trees with preservation orders on the site because developers would remove them.

Teddington ward councillor, James Mumford, said: "What they are taking is an existing site with an orchard and filling in the whole site with a massive building.

"On part of the site there is just a gap with trees. It is not easy to get preservation orders on trees and people would like to keep them.

"Plans are to fill in the whole site with a big block and little parking with more parking underground, but not enough. It is going to have a big impact on the street scene. There are a lot of fine buildings in that road and it will dwarf the library."

MM Cox Properties, the project's developers, said the amount of parking spaces for the offices complies with the council's planning regulations. MM Cox Properties, said: "When an office is located within 400 metres of a railway station, there are no requirements for the provision of parking."

Cllr Mumford also said there is not enough affordable housing in the plans. Only 40 per cent (24 of the 58 flats) will be social housing, but when plans are a change of use from commercial to residential council planning guidelines say three-fourths of the housing proposed should be affordable.

Waldegrave Road residents have hung protest posters in their windows and are calling the project a saturation building'.

A resident living across from the site in Waldegrave Road fears the building would block out much of their daylight.

She said: "They want to build too much on the site. It just goes from one end to the other, there isn't even any landscaping. There is no design to it, it's just massive."