A famous view which inspired the Victorian novelist George Eliot during her years in Putney is to be ruined by a block of flats.

The author, who wrote the semi-autobiographical The Mill on the Floss while living at Holly Lodge in Wimbledon Park Road during the 1850s, marvelled at the “wide horizon” she could see from her conservatory.

Now developers plan to erect a five-storey apartment block behind the house, obscuring a 40-mile view which stretches from Crystal Palace to Wimbledon Hill.

Sarah Roberts, 41, current owner of the house, said: “George Eliot would have sat in the conservatory at the rear of the house, or at a drawing table in the bay window, writing and admiring the view. Who’s to say that it didn’t influence The Mill on the Floss?

“She would be dismayed if she were alive today. The development benefits from the conservation area setting that serves it, but it doesn’t respect it.”

Using a man’s pen name to be taken seriously as a writer, George Eliot’s real name was Mary Anne Evans and she wrote the rural love saga when West Hill was nothing more than green countryside.

In a famous letter written in 1859 to Sara Hennell, she described Holly Lodge as similar to “a tall cake”, “with glorious breezy walks, and wide horizons.”

The house, where she once entertained her friend Charles Dickens, now sits in the West Hill Conservation Area, home to many period properties.

None of the homes are taller than three storeys high, with builders obliged to pay attention to the “character” of the area.

The five-storey development is proposed for the Skoda garage, at 60-62 West Hill Road, which is just outside of the protected zone.

Residents have been told the council could be powerless to stop it unless they can find new legislation, since the application was approved in 2006 and is now simply up for renewal.

Draft guidance in Boris Johnson's 2009 London View Management Framework states new buildings should be "high quality, well-designed and thoughtfully located".

It adds: "It is important that we find a way of ensuring that new development fits with our built heritage."

The developer, Michael Austin, said: “Everybody would prefer residential rather than commercial. I think it’s an improvement on the area.”

Consultation ends on Friday, April 16, with councillors expected to review the application on Thursday, May 27.

To view the application and have your say, visit the planning section of wandsworth.gov.uk and go to application number 2010/0325.

Residents have created a campaign website at reduceaustintowers.com.