Residents living in a quiet Enfield cul-de-sac have failed in their bid to stop Enfield Council selling off a run-down block of garages to developers.

Plans to build four houses up to three storeys high and a block of five flats up to four storeys high on land in Bankside can now go-ahead.

But residents who launched a campaign against the project insist the new homes will adversely effect the character of the area, intrude on their privacy, and lead to parking problems.

June Hack, 77, of Bankside, said: "I am so upset because I have worked all my life and retired to a lovely quiet home. I didn't anticipate developers putting up a large block of flats at the end of my garden."

Residents feel the council deliberately let the block fall into disrepair to justify its decision to sell off the land which was earmarked for development three years ago.

Currently, only three of the 34 garages are in use. "It's so unfair because people have been on the waiting list and the garages are clearly vacant," said Amanda Lunness, of Bankside.

An Enfield Council spokeswoman said: "This site was chosen along with others because the need for more homes was considered more important than the provision of garages, the majority of which were boarded up and disused."

The density of housing was acceptable for the area and the new flats would not intrude on residents' privacy, she added.