PLANNING permission for five houses on a site where just one bungalow exists is being sought from Brent Council.

An application to demolish the property in Waterloo Road, Neasden, and replace it with three four-bedroom houses and two three-bedroom houses was due to be considered at Tuesday night's planning meeting at Brent Town Hall. Applicant James Taylor Construction Ltd was set to receive planning permission after planning officers recommended councillors give their consent to the plans, despite local opposition.

Six letters of objection were received by Brent Council from neighbours, who claimed the development would result in a loss of out-look and privacy and have an adverse impact on traffic,parking and noise levels and the general character of the area. Other complaints focused on the design of the buildings and a loss of trees.

However, the report said of the objections: "The proposal has been designed with sensitively located windows to avoid overlooking and minimise privacy issues and is of a size and position that complies on council policy on outlook, aided by the topography of the site.

"The proposed row of five terraced houses is of a design, scale and massing that is considered to respect the character of the surrounding area."

Concerns about car parking are addressed by an off-street parking space for each house, according to the report. A similar application for the site was rejected in November last year and a subsequent appeal to the planning inspector in April was dismissed.

The inspector took issue with the planned proximity of the houses to an adjacent power sub-station and also found that the previous plans failed to "positively contribute to the character of the street scene".

The council will collect £39,000 from the developers to pay for improvements to the borough's education facilities if the plans are given consent.