ANOTHER swathe of elderly people are being threatened with eviction from their bungalows as Eastleigh Housing Association steps up its building programme of new homes and flats.

The association wants to clear pensioners from a row of five bungalows and bulldoze the buildings along with three garages to make way for ten two bed flats and three two bed houses.

But the OAPs fear being forced to leave their homes as the association has no alternative bungalows nearby to offer them.

All have invested sums of money into renovating the bungalows with improvements such as landscaping, fencing and interior design.

The association has recently spent what resident Pam Squires, 69, estimates to be "thousands of pounds of public money" on new windows, electrical circuiting, new pipes and central heating boilers.

All of these costly improvements in Burnetts Field, Horton Heath will be wiped out by the wrecking crews.

The Daily Echo revealed recently that the association proposes to demolish sheltered bungalows in Bishopstoke where elderly and disabled residents have vowed to physically block the bulldozers.

Widow Mrs Squires said: "I don't want to go because they haven't got any bungalows near here and I don't want to live anywhere else, I've got family and friends close by and I don't want to lose them."

Defiant residents have started a petition that is gathering hundreds of names.

The great-grandmother added: "They can't build this here. There's just no room for more cars. On the plans I've seen there's only three car parking spaces and there's not enough room for cars to park in the road at the moment, it's dreadful.

"I would rather they built another room on the back of the bungalows if they want two bed properties. Then they wouldn't have to pull down these lovely bungalows."

Eastleigh Housing Association services director Pat Shelley said the redevelopment would increase the density of housing which would also be affordable for many people in the area who are struggling to buy.

He said: "We won't have a planning application until next June or July at the earliest. We want to redevelop it over a period of time.

"We are looking at all of our stock to make best use of our assets and this kind of development restricts the impact on greenfield sites.

"When we come up with proposals the first people we talk to are residents long before we put planning applications in.

"At the moment no other sites have been earmarked. We will look at 4,500 units as part of our asset management strategy. We are looking at garage sites primarily."

Fair Oak and Horton Heath borough councillor Philip Spearey said: "It's a significant redevelopment and I have no doubt that members will want to look very closely at it as it is quite an intensification of the site.

"There's a question of disruption to the residents. It's not very nice to hear you might lose your home but I recognise the right of the housing association to do what it wants on its own land."