Residents are appealing for the leader of the council to help them understand the “hypocritical” decision to allow 48 flats to be built close to a conservation area.

Councillors approved plans to build the flats and five three-storey homes on the Air Sea House site in Third Cross Road, Twickenham, at a planning meeting last week.

However, residents hit out at the decision claiming the new development, which backs on to the Trafalgar Road Conservation Area, would infringe their privacy and was not in keeping with the area.

Trafalgar Road resident Rebecca Broudie said: “Many of the gardens will actually lose all privacy as the proposed buildings are so high they will dominate the skyline and be overbearing.

“The thought of losing my privacy breaks my heart, but as the conservation area stops at the end of our gardens it is apparently of no relevance or importance.”

Residents had hoped a list of objections, and the support of Twickenham MP Vince Cable, would see the proposal thrown out, rather than granted permission, at the planning committee meeting last Thursday.

Following the decision Ms Broudie sent a letter to council leader Nick True on behalf of Trafalgar Road Residents’ Association calling on him to look into the decision.

She said the decision had gone against the council’s “core strategy” document which states existing buidings and areas in the borough of “recognised high quality and historical interest” would be protected from inappropriate development and “enhanced sensibly”.

She wrote: “This gave residents a belief that the site at the rear of Trafalgar Road gardens would comply with the above policies.

“However, this simply was not the case.

“I would please urge you to look into this matter, and see for yourself how hypocritical this approval is.”

Speaking on behalf of Councillor True, who is currently on holiday, deputy leader Geoffrey Samuel said: “I entirely sympathise with the residents and understand their concerns.

“Unfortunately we are still saddled with the planning guidelines and policies of the last Liberal Democrat administration.

“Any developer would win an appeal if the committee ignored its own guidelines. That is why we promised to change planning policies if we won the election.

“And that we shall do - to avoid a repetition of this kind of thing.”

Matthew Mainwaring, director of planning consultancy firm Indigo Planning, said it was hoped the new homes would provide “much needed” affordable housing for the borough.