Despite more than 100 objections plans to build homes on the border of Selsdon Wood were given the green light by Croydon Council last week (Thursday, June 20).

The Oakwood Group now has permission to build 15, three-bedroom houses in Quail Gardens.

The site on the south eastern side of the road is part of the garden for 46 Quail Gardens in South Croydon.

Overall 151 people objected to the plans, including one from owners of Selsdon Wood, the National Trust. The land is managed by Croydon Council.

George Georgiou lives near the approved development and started a petition against the plans which gathered more than 150 signatures.

He said there is a Section 52 order on the land which means it must remain single property land – But it was issued 40 years ago.

As part of the planning approval this order has been discharged.

Of the 15 flats, eight will be for private sale, four offered at affordable rent and three as shared ownership.

The plans include 15 car parking spaces and 30 for bicycles. A new access road off Quail Gardens will also be created.

But council officers were satisfied that the new development would not harm the area.

A report said: “The scheme has been designed to retain as much of the ‘buffer strip’ character of the site as possible, with spacing to the boundaries and substantial landscaping to offset the buildings on site.

“The scale and layout of the proposed built form would be appropriate for the site and the traditional design and materiality would respect the surrounding character of the area.”

Mr Georgiou said he was “appalled and disgusted” at the result describing the committee members as having a “lack of integrity”.

“They ignored nearly 160 local objections, hundred sof objections from residents across the Croydon borough as well as the objection from the National Trust, Woodland Trust, Badger Society, Friends of Selsdon Wood amongst others, which  shows that the council does not care one jot about protecting areas that back onto green belt land,” he said.

The plans were voted through by the council’s planning committee with six votes in favour and four against.

After the meeting, vice chair of the committee, Councillor Paul Scott tweeted: “Last night Croydon planning committee approved 64 new homes including 20 houses, 38 family sized homes with 15 proposed to be affordable.

“They will replace just three bungalows and three houses. The Tory councillors voted against every single one – they only support new homes in other back yards.”