RESIDENTS who have rented garages in Portskewett for up to 50 years have voiced opposition to plans to demolish them and replace them with affordable housing.

Monmouthshire Housing Association has applied to Monmouthshire council for planning permission to demolish the garages on Southbrook View and build four two-storey two-bedroom houses in their place.

But many residents who are renting the garages from Monmouthshire Housing Association are against the plans.

They say they will instead have to park their cars on nearby The Close which is already congested and worry about them getting scratched or damaged.

Phillip Vittle, 60, said children moving into the new houses could also be at risk from extra parked cars.

Residents say they pay around £22 a month for the garages with 19 out of 25 thought to be occupied.

They claim they only found out about the proposal through a notice on a nearby lamp post.

Some of the residents living in a row of eight bungalows opposite the proposed site are also against the plans.

The bungalows, also owned by Monmouthshire Housing Association, provide accommodation for people over 60.

Resident Don Taylor, 73, who has lived there for ten years, said: "The two don't blend together. The children have got to play but not in an area like this."

David Richards, 82, who has rented one of the garages for around 50 years, said: "People living here are supposed to have peace and quiet. But this would cause dirt, dust, debris and danger. People shouldn't be subjected to this in their retirement."

John Keegan, chief executive of Monmouthshire Housing Association, said there is a real housing crisis in Monmouthshire with almost 3,000 households on the waiting list.

Mr Keegan said the garages have provided a good service but he said there is a desperate need for accommodation and that this has to be the Association's priority.

Monmouthshire council said its planning committee is expected to discuss the application on February 14.