Neighbours have staged a protest outside their homes after a new resident on the block demolished a 1930s chimney, writes Roseena Parveen.

Geoffrey Wallace, new owner of number 2 Morrell Avenue, Oxford, said the chimney took up too much space. He wants to install modern skylights and won permission for the work in January.

But all the neighbours in the block of six council-built houses say Mr Wallace has ruined the symmetry of their homes.

Their protests are led by the former resident of number 2, Nicholas Clegg, a postgraduate student in architecture and urban design at Oxford Brookes University. Mr Clegg, who now lives in Charles Street, is considering legal action.

He said: "If it was in north Oxford, planners would never have allowed it. This man is demolishing something precious. In creating new windows he is forming a scar on the city's picturesque landscape." Neighbours want the chimney re-built. Phylis Prior, of number 6, said: "We honestly did not believe the planners would allow it."

Theresa Bowden, of number 8, said: "It's a disgrace. I want the chimney put back." Becky Fackrell, who has lived at number 10 for more than 45 years said: "We look out into South Park. It's beautiful, but now it's being ruined."

But Mr Wallace told the Oxford Mail he had consulted several architects and engineers before knocking down the chimney.

He said: "It is my home now and I have been through the proper channels. The chimney runs through the centre of the house. I want to create more space and modernise my home.

"Nick's arguments are purely aesthetic. These are 1930s council-built houses, not listed ancient buildings."

The house is in a conservation area, but planning officer Paul Semple said the chimney's demolition was legal.

He said: "You do not need planning permission to demolish the chimney, so symmetry is not a planning consideration. There is nothing the council could have done to stop this."