NEIGHBOURS have hit-out at an 'untrue and false' planning application which claims garages should be knocked down and replaced with houses after becoming a hot spot for 'anti social behaviour'.

Planners say the row of garages at the back of Howard Street, just off Iffley Road, are a 'dumping ground' and leave the landlord 'constantly dealing with fly tipping and anti-social behaviour'.

They say there is 'little alternative' but to knock down all but two of the 17 brick garages, and then replace them with three homes.

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But, so far seven residents have objected the plans, explaining that the information is 'inaccurate, false and misleading'.

One neighbour said: "It is plain from the documentation that there is an alarming lack of candour in the application and furthermore some clear untruths."

Another resident, who lives on Silver Road, explained: "This application is misleading. It is inaccurate. I am a long-term resident of an adjoining property and would like to point out that a) access to the area in question is restricted by a gate which is lockable at night, and b) a quick search of police statistics on anti-social behaviour indicated that between April 2016 and March 2019 a total of 10 anti-social crimes were logged with police on or near Cricket Road – an area that far exceeds the site in question.

"It is therefore inaccurate to state that the site is a source of 'constant nuisance and anti-social behaviour'."

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If plans are given the green-light by Oxford City Council then one two-bedroom house will be built and two one-bedroom homes.

As it is, the site is at the back of houses on Howard Street, Silver Road, Cricket Road and Barnet Street.

Planners say the only way to get to the garages is via a narrow road off Howard Street which is 1.7m wide.

In the plans, they wrote: "Modern day vehicles can no longer gain access. None of the garages are used for vehicle parking. The majority of the garages are now vacant and unused, those that are in use are used for informal storage. Due to the location the garages are not popular to rent and the garages and site have become a constant source of nuisance and anti-social behaviour. The garages are becoming increasingly hard to rent out and as such are many are left empty."

Another resident on Cricket Road also objected. In a letter attached in the planning portal they wrote: "I used to rent two of the garages from the landlord and I know that all were rented out as I was on the waiting list for these – it is false information to say that the land is underused, redundant and surplus and that the lock-up garages are hard to rent out."

The plans can be found using 19/01123/FUL