A German property developer has launched ambitious plans to deliver Kingston’s first residential car club scheme and help improve the borough’s lack of affordable housing.

Rhine Properties, specialist in building flats and town houses in Germany, has submitted an outline planning application to Kingston Council for 40 one- and two-bedroom flats in Grafton Road, 200m from New Malden High Street.

Maureen Spoczynska, a Cleveland Road resident who earlier this year campaigned against a plan to build 61 flats in nearby Kingston Road, said her main concern was the size of the development and its “inadequate” parking.

Mrs Spoczynska said: “Even if the developers don’t provide adequate parking, there’s no guarantee the purchasers won’t have a car and this will have a detrimental effect on the local parking situation.

“The developers are under the illusion that because the proposal is near a station the users of the 40 flats won’t need or use a car and that anyone visiting will use public transport.”

The dilapidated building in Grafton Road was last used as a warehouse for a packaging company until July 2007, when it began winding up its operation and clearing out its old stock.

The developer’s agent said a car club scheme could provide a solution to the anticipated parking problems and admitted there were currently no plans to provide car parking spaces on site.

In a statement to the council, Andrew Dewhurst from Congreve Horner said: “We have not allocated space for the on site parking in this application because we would prefer to discuss this further during the planning process, including considering more environmentally-friendly alternatives.

“One option we would like to pursue further... is to enter into a partnership with a car club where the occupants will have the option of becoming members of a car sharing club whereby cars will be made available for residents to use.

“We believe this would be a positive and sustainable pilot scheme for Kingston, which we understand has not yet adopted a car club scheme.”