A ROW has erupted in a quiet Chippenham street after Westlea Housing Authority bought two houses.

Resident Rodney Fernandes was outraged when an anonymous leaflet was posted through letterboxes in Hawthorn Road informing residents two houses had been bought by the housing association.

The leaflet urged people who wanted to oppose the development to send their comments to North Wiltshire District Council, the planning authority.

"Those who have written this leaflet under cowardly anonymity lack any kind of judgement," he said.

"The smear that they are trying to make is that residents who have bought their properties are somehow more worthy of living in our road than those that cannot afford to do so.

"They are trying to imply that housing association residents are second class citizens, and are pre-judging people who they have never met."

But Mr Fernandes' initial welcome of the plans turned sour when he tried to find out more from Westlea Housing Authority.

"My first impressions were that they were to be used for social housing, perhaps for families who could not afford their own home," he said.

"From what the residents can gather from Westlea which is not much this is not the case."

Fellow resident Peggy Beard was one of four households to receive notification from the district council about plans to modify the houses.

A phone call to Westlea revealed the two houses would be knocked into one communal home.

"They say they will be having five women living there but I cannot ascertain who these people are going to be they won't tell me if they will be disabled, or with criminal records. They are not giving us any clues and that leaves us feeling worried," she said.

"They say there will be staff there too, but they won't say how many and when they will be working.

"It's a small road and we can only just accommodate the cars we have at the moment."

Mr Fernandes has now complained to the district council, because he wanted wider consultation about the plans.

He also criticised the housing association for not keeping people informed.

"Westlea has not had the decency to contact any of the residents of Hawthorn Road to notify us, least not those that are living next door to the properties," he said.

"While there is no legal obligation for them to do this, the moral obligation to inform elderly households is overwhelming.

"Westlea is hoping to sneak their plans through the back door."

Another resident, Marion Hill, said: "The information that has been gathered from Westlea through many phone calls from households has been vague. They are unwilling to keep us informed and this has to be a serious concern."

But Westlea denied it was keeping anyone in the dark about its plans.

The director of housing services, Steve Abbott, said they had applied for permission for the houses to have multiple occupancy.

"Our plans for these properties are supported by North Wiltshire District Council and involve the provision of short-term accommodation for women and children in urgent need," he said.

"We have many years of experience managing similar accommodation in comparable locations. We are confident this proposal will not result in any undue nuisance to neighbours.

"Indeed, as the major landlord of affordable housing in north Wiltshire, we are able to offer assurances and, hopefully, peace of mind that would not be offered by, or expected of, a private owner of these properties," he said.

Mr Abbott said Westlea had now written to all householders in the street explaining its plans. "We would welcome dialogue with anyone who has further concerns," he added.