Council proposals to demolish a Victorian school building in Battersea and replace it with flats have sparked opposition from neighbours.

Eltringham Depot, in Eltringham Street, is currently being used as a car park for council transport, with the building standing vacant for over 15 years.

Wandsworth Council wants to knock it down so it can be replaced with three bedroom apartments and public spaces.

But people living in the street fear the modern four-storey building will undermine the Victorian feel of the area and loom over their cottages.

Cherie Stockbridge, 64, who lives in a cottage opposite the school said the building should be restored and used as a school again.

She said: "There are lots of people with children in Battersea Reach, they could have kept it and built on the grounds.

"So much of Wandsworth is built using these big square boxes - but they are so upsetting to the little cottages.

"We know people need homes, but could they build something in a similar style to the school?"

Jane Eades, another concerned resident said: "The development would further destroy the community which exists in the immediate surroundings, as well as demolish a Victorian school building.

"In Wandsworth's drive for ugly and badly thought through developments they are happily destroying some of Battersea's History."

Residents also fear the new building would be a fire hazard and not leave enough room for fire engines to park along the cul-de-sac.

A spokesperson for the council said: "There are plans to redevelop that site, but it is just a proposal at the moment.

"We have got a site that is just being used as a carpark and we don't need it any longer.

"There is no demand for school places in that part of Wandsworth, but lots of people are in need of affordable homes."

Results from a public consultation held last month are being drawn up before a planning application is submitted.