Plans have been submitted to build a new retirement village in Purley to deal with the "critical" need to house older people.

If approved, the current houses at 11 Banstead Road would be demolished to make way for the 34 home, five storey building.

In a planning statement submitted to Croydon Council, the applicant said the proposed village wouldn't create any issues for neighbours fearing for their privacy.

"The proposed scheme has been designed with regard to the amenities of neighbouring residents and amended to respond to officers previous concerns at pre-application stage about impacting neighbouring properties," the application said.

"The scheme has been designed to ensure that windows from the proposed apartments look down the garden rather than across to neighbouring properties."

In giving a reason why the applicant believes the plans should be approved, they cited a council study which concluded that over the next 23 years, the total number of people aged 55 and over was expected to increase by 63 per cent.

The applicant believes the proposed building would help deal with that rising number.

"The proposed redevelopment of the site for housing for older people is a significant opportunity to contribute towards meeting the current and projected need for special needs housing for the elderly within the London Borough of Croydon and in the UK generally," the application said.