Plans to build an 8ft-wide house in Crouch End have been turned down by Haringey Council, but the owner of the site this week vowed to keep fighting until he wins approval.

Andrew Markey, 60, applied for planning permission to transform part of an imposing Victorian house in Haringey Park into a "separate, split-level townhouse". He has already converted the rest of the property into 11 bedsits and now wants to turn the original kitchen and passageway into a narrow one-bedroom house to rent out.

But the council has refused permission, saying it would be an overdevelopment of the site, leading to a "cramped appearance on the street scene".

Despite its narrow measurements, the building is deep enough to allow for a 21ft living room, a 15ft kitchen/diner and stairs up to the second storey, with a 15ft bedroom and tiny bathroom.

Estate agents say that the planned home could sell for more than £180,000 if it wins planning approval and goes on the market.

Mr Markey, who first approached planners with the conversion idea four years ago, remains determined to build the townhouse.

"I always knew it would be difficult, but there is still a good case to be made to maximise use of the site," he said.

Mr Markey, who lived in the whole house with his family until ten years ago, remains philosophical about neighbours objecting to his plans. "I don't mind and quite understand," said the former Crouch End Conservation Area Advisory Committee member.

"I remember fighting planning applications when I lived in Crouch End."