Coombe Park residents who are fighting plans from “mega wealthy” neighbours to erect a gate halfway down the street are furious after it emerged the barrier was on the public highway.

The leafy street is divided into a public highway and private road and residents at the top of Coombe Park are outraged at the plans for automated gates that would be closed to the public 24 hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week.

Work started on the gate in May but Kingston Council called in solicitors and ordered the work to cease because no planning permission had been given.

Residents have now unearthed a historical document showing the boundary of the private road is 850ft from the junction with Kingston Hill. They are adamant the gate has been built 18ft into public land.

At a meeting with residents on Monday, council officers refused to measure the boundary or where the gate was situated and said a decision had been reached with the private inhabitants to move the boundary forward.

David White, Kingston Council’s highway assets service manager, said: “We had to ask where the useful limit of the public highway was and, at the time, we didn’t have a document which told us the boundary was 850ft.

“The private residents want to restrict access to their private road - what you have enjoyed is not guaranteed to you because the private residents want to protect their interests and there is not much I can do to stop them.”

Dr Robin Tillett, a resident at the top of the road, said: “I’m appalled - they cannot just change the boundary like that without consulting the archives - or us.

“It’s all been done in stealth.”

Councillor Patrick Codd, chairman of the Maldens and Coombe neighbourhood committee, said he was “vehemently opposed” to the gates.

“I am against a closed society - it is divisive and I shall bitterly oppose the gates.

“We are not living in Beverly Hills or gang-ridden Los Angeles. The gates are grossly inappropriate and will turn our town into a fortress.”

The highways department will review the boundary and report back to residents who have vowed to fight the gates “all the way”.

David Knowles, also a public highway resident, said: “We feel that the gates are inappropriate to the character of Coombe Park - this road has been enjoyed for years by the general public.

“It’s all motivated by self interest - the private residents want to up their house prices and push crime up into our part of the road.”

Repeated attempts were made to contact a spokesman for the private part of Coombe Park but they have so far been unavailable for comment.