Council plans to force elderly homeowners to sell their homes have been deferred because of a parking row.

Planning applications submitted to Sutton Council for the demolition of homes on Green Wrythe Crescents, and Green Wrythe Lane and Nightingale Close had to be pulled from the Development Control Committee meeting last week.

Objections to the plans ranged from adverse effect on wildlife, to claims the current houses were in perfectly good condition, but the main reason for the deferral was parking.

In Nightingale Close, planning applications include provision for 24 car parking spaces for 25 two story houses, similarly, in Green Wrythe Lane and Crescent, for 39 new houses there would be 34 on-site parking spaces.

It is a further blow to the 20 homeowners, the majority of which are retired, who are facing an uncertain future.

Christine Hillege, vice chairwoman of the Orlit Homeowners Association, formed to get the homeowners a fair deal from the council, lives on Nightingale Close.

She said: "The council have done everything back to front. They should have spoken to us a lot earlier, instead of just giving us a pitiful offer and telling us we have to accept it.

This latest problem is just ridiculous. They have made provisions for 0.8 cars per house, I don't know anyone who owns 0.8 of a car.

The traffic would be terrible on Nightingale Road. We are not giving up our fight for our houses, but this just demonstrates how badly thought out the plans are."

Across Carshalton and Hackbridge Sutton Council wants to replace 54 Orlit homes the government deems defective with 87 new builds, but plans have infuriated 20 homeowners who bought their homes under the right to buy scheme in the 1980's but are now subject to a compulsory purchase order.

The planning application will be revised, and will come back to the council early next year.

Councillor Jayne McCoy, chairwoman of Sutton’s housing, economy and business committee, said: "The applications were deferred to permit further negotiation, with a view to accommodating as many as possible of the shortfall in parking spaces.

"Those discussions are now taking place and we hope to reach a satisfactory resolution as soon as possible."