New occupants of a ‘monstrous’ pair of proposed new homes would be able to ‘eavesdrop’ on neighbours and watch them in their swimming pools, concerned residents have warned.

Property developer Crystal Oak wants to demolish 573 London Road and replace it with a pair of semi-detached two-storey houses containing four homes.

But 11 neighbours from nearby Trent Road – which the homes will back onto – have written to Slough Borough Council to object, with one branding it a ‘monstrous overdevelopment’.

One neighbour said they feared the new residents would be close enough to ‘eavesdrop on my property’. They said the increase in homes would also make parking difficult, ‘making our residential area very congested’.

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Another neighbour said: “Because the frontage of my property is of an open plan design the residents of the new dwellings will have an unrestricted view and access to the front of my property including the swimming pool. This presents a safety hazard for children.”

Another resident also said they were concerned for children’s privacy. They said: “The rear outlook of all properties would overlook both my rear and side garden, which are regularly used for solace, wellbeing and entertaining, as outlined in a previous objection.

“This would also affect the lives of immediate neighbours with significant concerns regarding the safeguarding of many young children using these private spaces.”

However council planning officers are recommending that the application be approved. Previous designs were refused planning permission on the grounds that they were overbearing and would cause harm to the local character.

But officers say developers have amended the plans in the current application to ensure that there would be enough space between the new homes and neighbouring houses. They also say the building would fit with the character of the area.

Officers said: “The proposal is considered, in planning terms, to have an acceptable relationship with the character of the area.

“It is noted that there are objections on the grounds of how the development relates to its surroundings, which are noted, however the layout, scale and form of development is considered to be acceptable in planning terms.”

The planning officers also say that the nine parking spaces included in the design are more than required under the council’s rules for new homes. And they add that the construction of the new homes would help with the borough’s housing shortfall.

Councillors on the borough’s planning committee are set to debate the plans and make a decision on Wednesday, September 25.