Neighbours say a breakers yard’s plans to build 10 new homes will add to an 'impossible' parking situation and leave them with nowhere to leave their vehicles.

Touch Developments has applied for planning permission to redevelop T&B Motors vehicle dismantling yard at West End in Witney with a new access from Farmers Close.

But one resident called the idea "dangerous" and "madness".

Objecting to the proposal on West Oxfordshire District Council's planning portal, he wrote: "I do not see why you think it is fair to create a new entrance in a small cul de sac where parking is already compromised.

"The road leading up to the proposed entrance is also very winding and narrow and already dangerous with a sharp bend so construction traffic would be madness."

Eleven neighbours said the homes would take away what little valuable on street parking there is as the proposed access road is used for resident's parking due to shortage of space on Farmers Close.

And Farmers Close was already used for overflow parking with residents of Bakers Piece and Hailey Road parking on the pavements.

Another said: "I'm not sure that the council are aware of the problems parking in Farmers Close, but they should be encouraged to visit.

"It's almost impossible to get a taxi to drop or pick up from that part of Farmers Close currently and as an elderly person I have to rely on taxis."

The plans include part demolition and refurbishment of an existing store building at the site, as well as building four two-bedroom and six three-bedroom homes plus the new access.

The plans include 22 parking spaces but Devinda Kumarasinghe, Oxfordshire County Council’s senior transport development officer, said this did not comply with the council's parking policy which would allow no more than 16 spaces for a development of this size.

He added that the five metre wide carriageway falls below OCC design guidance "and fails to demonstrate how safe pedestrian/cycle access would be achieved".

A pedestrian/cycle link directly to West End "seems to have been removed as part of the formal submission", he wrote.

"This is compounded by the high level of car parking proposed and combines to make a development that is not designed to be as sustainable as could/should be."

Witney Town Council said while it supports the principle of redevelopment at the site, "members have expressed concerns about land, air and water contamination during construction works as well as when homes are occupied".

The site has been a breakers yard since the 1970s.

The town council said the applicant has already submitted one study but "more investigation, more measurement, sampling and monitoring needs to be carried out at the site, and then scrutinised by the relevant technical consultees".

This is to ensure the applicant "addresses and can mitigate against all and any risk from contaminants to ensure no harm to human health, the environment or Witney waterways," it said.