Plans for Crossrail to take over extra land in Twickenham were announced this week amid concerns that this will have a major impact on the area.

Richmond upon Thames Council has indicated early opposition to these proposals to safeguard significant areas of land in the Crane Valley for railway development.

The Montague Report is due to be published soon and this will decide whether the route to Richmond and Twickenham will be go ahead.

Council leader and the borough GLA member Tony Arbour said: "This process is not acceptable. The advanced consultation is being carried out prior to any decision on the Crossrail project. It is totally inappropriate and premature and will lead to a great deal of uncertainty for residents and it will blight property.

"The land in the Crane Valley, which it is assumed is for stabling, would have a major impact on the openness of an area that has recently been recognised by the UDP inspector as being part of a corridor of open land.

"The associated activities would inevitably have an adverse impact on residential amenity in the area."

He added: "We clearly need more information from Crossrail on such areas as to the alternative stabling sites that were considered and how the identification of this land will prejudice the future use and improvement of this area."

The Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate, Paul Maynard said: "It is clear that the whole process is a complete shambles. We still don't even know whether Crossrail is actually going ahead, yet a planning blight is descending on the local residents affected.

"Whilst residents of Twickenham might benefit from an extension of Crossrail to Kingston, many will ask whether this is a price worth paying.

"I hope that the sitting MP will be as active in the prevention of train stabling in the Crane Valley as he was in promoting the Kingston extension in the first place."

Twickenham MP Dr Vincent Cable is concerned about the uncertainty that Crossrail is creating.

He said: "If we knew they were serious, then I think people would see the advantages in terms of public transport, but we could finish up with the worst of worlds with no progress on the transport links and blight on property and open land."