A Tolworth housing development narrowly escaped being demolished after being built 78.5cm too tall.

The retrospective planning application to build the block of homes in Red Lion Road almost 1m higher was passed by the development control committee on June 12.

Linden Homes director Steve Bangs said the increase in height was due to architectural errors and neither Linden Homes nor CNM Estates would gain commercially from it.

He said: “We employed a working drawings architect that inherited a set of planning drawings.

“It is most important that they respect the design to the conditions.

“They did not do this. I cannot blame them solely. I have my own team to ensure that this does not happen.”

But residents claim Linden Homes made contradictory excuses at two committee meetings, as to why they built the development taller than planned.

Bridget Walker, a resident of Ewell Road, said a spokesman for Linden Homes had previously admitted the planned height would not have been commercially viable.

She said: “At the March 2013 South of the Borough meeting an agent for Linden Homes stated that in 2011 an issue arose relating to the floor to ceiling height of the commercial units and that they had let-ability concerns on the original plans.”

The retrospective application was approved, though councillors maintained they were “very angry” about the situation.