RESIDENTS who lost a fight against 26 new flats being built on their estate claim “it felt like being punched in the face”.

People living in Old Mill Court in Chigwell Road, South Woodford fought fiercely against Redbridge Council’s plans to build the two new blocks last year.

But despite their concerns about cutting down trees, concreting over green space, compromising privacy, and road safety, the plans were approved at a meeting last week (February 16).

Councillors voted in the proposal with a majority of five to six, with a minor amendment to bring plans to build a children’s playground on the site forward.

But lead campaigner and life-long resident Vicky Winning is furious no other concessions were made.

The 46-year-old said: “It feels like a complete white wash.

“It feels like they were always planning to do what they wanted and the public consultation was irrelevant.

“I couldn’t be at the decision meeting, but when I heard I felt like I’d been punched in the face.

“They’re taking away everything from us and giving us back nothing.

"We could've created plans that worked for everyone if they'd have listened to us, but they didn't."

Ms Winning also warned the “significant shortfall” of green space on the estate and the council’s “refusal” to address existing problems with bins, garages and pram sheds will mean more problems in the future.

She added: “The 60 families living here are all going to be adversely affected by this.

“We’ve still got chronic problems they haven’t fixed – I’ve got a terrible rat problem in my garage.

“So I’ll be emailing them every time something goes wrong and see what they say then.”

Before the decision was made last week Redbridge cabinet member for housing Cllr Farah Hussain stressed the importance of the new Old Mill Court homes in solving the borough’s housing crisis.

She said: “We have 2,000 families waiting in temporary accommodation and the average wait for a two-bedroom council home is eight years.”

But Roding ward councillors Gwyneth Deakins (Liberal Democrat) and Lloyd Duddridge (Labour) are still pushing the council to address existing problems to avoid complications later on.

Cllr Deakins said: “I am in support of building council flats on this site but reports clearly state this is an over-development.

“No-one knows better than I how desperate we are for affordable accommodation, but if we use that desperation as a reason for providing overcrowded and inadequate housing we are simply creating more problems for the future - as well as substantially worsening the conditions of our existing tenants and leaseholders.”

Cllr Duddridge added: “We can build the homes the borough needs while still offering the protection that Old Mill Courts residents deserve.

“It is the duty of the council to provide the affordable homes we desperately need, but it is the duty of the committee to scrutinize plans to see if they could be improved upon.

“That was the opportunity councillors had when making their decision.”

Redbridge Council has been contacted for comment.