FRUSTRATED villagers must wait another month to find out whether a treasured grass verge in their road is likely to be destroyed to allow a new development to go ahead.

The whole messy business follows two applications — and a three-year saga — by developers Millgate Homes to build apartments on the site of semi-detached homes in Heathfield Avenue, Sunninghill.

But the inspector imposed the condition that Heathfield Avenue would have to be widened before building could take place — which would see the verge turned into carriageway.

Millgate Homes claims the verge is part of the street, allowing the Royal Borough to use its powers to enforce the road’s widening However residents have hit out against the condition, claiming the verge is privately-owned which means the council does not have the power to take on the widening.

At a Royal Borough cabinet meeting on Thursday, October 29, councillors decided to give residents and developers another 14 days to present any last minute legal submissions before deciding later this month month whether or not they do have the power to order the road- widening.

Even if the council finds it can legally order the destruction of the verge, it will still be up to the authority to decide whether it is prepared to carry this out or not.

Chris Ryder-Richardson, a resident in Heathfield Avenue, said: “From the residents’ point of view, Millgate is attempting to push the council into appropriating private land to widen the road simply to help the developers reap a handsome profit.

“This goes against any sense of justice or fair play, and certainly against Article 1 of the First Protocol of the European Convention of Human Rights, which is the right to the peaceful enjoyment of property.”