Twickenham residents have hit out at plans to bulldoze an empty Greggs Bakery for new homes and raised fears extra traffic in the area will put kids walking to school in danger.

The plans from developer London Square have returned after similar proposals were rejected in 2020. The latest scheme would see the same number of homes built on Gould Road - up to 116 - in buildings up to five storeys tall with more affordable housing. The scheme includes space for shops, offices and restaurants.

As an alternative, the developer has also submitted another application for 97 homes and industrial space below. Both developments include 101 car parking spaces. Richmond Council can approve one of the schemes or reject both.

Greggs stopped operating as a bakery on the site in 2017 and it is now fully empty. But residents have written to the council objecting to both plans - raising concerns local roads are already narrow and the development could make congestion in the area worse. They said the plans don't include enough parking and could overwhelm local services.

One resident wrote: "Parking in the area is already very tight and this will make life very difficult for local residents as there simply won't be enough space for everyone to park. The roads are already narrow and heavily parked. The additional traffic will make the area very congested and dangerous for our children walking to school."

Another said: "The immediate locality is already densely populated and the roads are very narrow and difficult to navigate. The increased traffic levels will make driving and walking in the local area more awkward and potentially more dangerous, particularly given the number of young families in the area."

She added: "Local amenities are already overstretched, and cannot support this development sufficiently, thus further impacting existing Twickenham residents."

A third resident commented: "The impact on local residents, traffic levels and therefore child/cyclist safety will be disastrous." A fourth added: "Whilst the site needs developing and these look like well-thought-through options, I feel that parking remains an issue with both of these schemes and is under-provided for within the proposed developments. This will inevitably put a burden on nearby roads."

A spokesperson for London Square said: "We have developed a beautifully designed, high-quality scheme, making use of a redundant brownfield industrial site, which is no longer suitable for industrial use due to its position in a residential area.

"The proposals meet all the government's aspirations to increase housing supply so badly needed in London, with a mix of 116 houses and apartments, including 50per cent genuinely affordable homes - 47 London Affordable Rent and 11 shared ownership homes, very rarely offered in the London borough of Richmond upon Thames.

"We have had a positive response to the wider public consultation, with 80pc in favour, and from many residents near the site.

"Unfortunately, there will always be opposition to any form of development, even if it is completely appropriate. We would hope that officers and councillors understand that the need to provide more housing, particularly affordable, in the borough should be the most important factor in their decision-making."

The council is looking through the plans which are at an "assessment stage" according to its website.