Locals say plans to build nearly 2,000 homes on the edge of South London would put their neighbourhood under too much strain.

Residents said developer Poppymill's plans to build on green belt land in Chessington would put too much pressure on already overstretched facilities, including GP surgeries, and congested roads.

Residents told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) they believed the proposed new neighbourhood, known as Hook Park, would overwhelm Chessington.

They said the scheme was too big and dense for the constrained 50-acre site, which borders the A3, and raised concerns for wildlife as it is green belt land.

The plans would see up to 1,952 homes, including 50 per cent affordable housing, a care home, shops, workspaces and a community centre built on the site.

The development would have 22 acres of open space, including an 8.4-acre public park at its centre.

Poppymill is proposing new access routes into the site, including a new roundabout on the A309, and works to surrounding roads in a bid to improve safety and ease congestion.

The plans also include 818 car parking spaces, 3,872 cycle parking spaces, diverted bus routes through the site and a new shuttle bus service to Chessington North station.

But residents told the LDRS the scheme did not include suitable improvements to existing infrastructure to cope with the huge increase in population it would bring, which they said would cause more congestion in Chessington, Tolworth and areas in Surrey – including Claygate and Esher.

They described how residents would rely on cars as the area was poorly served by public transport, with any increase in congestion posing safety concerns.

They said train services which were already infrequent, unreliable and congested at Chessington North and South stations would also be put under even more pressure, with there being no Underground stations nearby.

David Phillips described the impact on traffic as "the one thing that makes it impossible to build" the scheme.

David told the LDRS: "It won't benefit residents moving into there, who are going to be effectively trapped in their estate and not be able to get out.

"It won't benefit the residents who live in Chessington at all because we'll be trapped where we live, and it will really affect all the commercial areas around us."

He added: "Chessington really is very much on the brink of not working as it is. It's very congested, and very problematic, and it has been screaming for infrastructural upgrades for decades, but those are very difficult to achieve and very expensive to fund and very disruptive to build."

Gia Borg-Darcy also told the LDRS she felt the developer had not fully taken into account the impact the scheme would have on residents, who would bear its brunt.

Gia Borg-Darcy and David Phillips, who are among objectors to the development. (Credit: Charlotte Lillywhite/LDRS)

Ian Davison, another resident, described Chessington as "already oversubscribed" and inappropriate for such a huge development without major expansion of existing services.

He said the design of the scheme, with buildings up to eight stories high, would also change the character of the area forever.

Ian said building on green belt land was "not the answer" to providing more housing when other brownfield sites were available, and raised concerns for the wildlife which currently calls the site home.

"This is the wrong development in the wrong place," Ian said.

He added: "People have a right to housing, but the flip side is you don't want to put people in housing where you're going to then drop them into the middle of problems… it will affect new residents and existing residents."

Poppymill classed the site as grey belt land in planning documents, which is a new concept introduced by the government to refer to low-quality green belt land, as it consists of previously-developed land and inaccessible, neglected areas.