IT is the ultimate council house exchange. For years, the 30 or so residents have lived peacefully in a quiet Eastleigh close.

Despite being far from nuisance neighbours, the group is about to be evicted to make way for a new housing development.

Eastleigh Borough Council is planning to move a colony of slow-worms from a former garage site to two areas of open space to enable six three-bedroom homes to be built.

As a protected species, the slippery customers must be moved to prevent them being harmed during the building project.

Eastleigh councillors will this week consider granting a licence for the release and monitoring of slow-worms on land at Templars Way, Chandler's Ford, and Avenue Park, Eastleigh. The colony will be moved from land at the rear of Burns Close.

In July, councillors granted planning permission to Dyer and Sey Ltd for the homes, but ecological surveys of the site have found slow-worms.

Rules state that new sites must contain suitable habitat, must have no significant existing slow worm population and must not be earmarked for development.

Ecological consultants working on behalf of the company contacted the council's biodiversity officer seeking new homes for slow-worms captured at Burns Close and now the two open space areas have been identified.

On Thursday, the council's powerful executive Cabinet will be recommended to approve the principle of granting a licence to use the Templars Way site. Executive councillors will be told that no development is likely at Avenue Park because it is outside the urban edge and is to be designated as a site of importance for nature conservation.

But while there are no development plans for the land off Templars Way, it is next to housing and, councillors will be told, there is always a risk that the slow-worms will have to be moved to another site. In that event it will cost the council money.