A RESIDENT claims his life has become a nightmare since York planners allowed a children's play area to be built just beyond his garden fence.

Allan Dunsford, of Kirkdale Road, Osbaldwick, says teenagers gathering at the area regularly hurl abuse, stones and sticks over the fence.

He said he had collected a bucket full of stones and other debris which had been thrown at his home and had lived there for 30 years without a problem but now hardly dared go in the garden.

His privacy had also been destroyed because the youngsters could also see into his home from the top of the equipment, and other residents had also been affected by problems.

He believed the only solution was for the play area to be moved back and away from his garden.

Mark Warters, chairman of Osbaldwick Parish Council, claimed the play area had been approved by City of York Council officers under deferred powers without consideration by councillors, and the parish believed the authority had a 'moral and professional obligation' to resolve the problem to the satisfaction of residents.

Jim Shanks, police architectural liaison officer, said in a letter he could fully understand residents' concerns about loss of privacy and noise nuisance and anti-social behaviour problems.

He said that when he was consulted by York council in 2003 about a planning application for new homes, he could not ever remember seeing the play area in any drawings, or he would have commented about its position so close to residential dwellings and the potential for complaints.

A council spokeswoman said there did not appear to have been any errors in the way the application was dealt with in 2004/5, but the authority's planning team had been in discussions with the Parish Council and Mr and Mrs Dunford over the issue and appreciated their concerns.

She said: "We have been investigating the feasibility of moving the play equipment further away from Mr and Mrs Dunford's garden, and putting in additional planting and higher fencing to stop users of the park looking into the garden.” She added that she understood the council was still looking at the possible options.