HOMEOWNERS turning their garages into an extra room are creating a safety risk on the roads of Warndon Villages, parish councillors have said.

With fewer garages, more cars will be parking on the already crowded roads, and parish council member David Eastwood said it was an accident waiting to happen.

"A small child could run out across the road and bang! They'd be dead," he said.

The debate arose following an application to convert a garage into a fourth bedroom at 13 Homestead Avenue, in Warndon Villages.

"There will only be one parking space on the drive and I just don't think that would be adequate for a four-bedroom house," said Mr Eastwood.

Parish council members said Homestead Avenue was already a "cramped" cul-de-sac with a narrow road.

However, rather than any one individual conversion, council members said the problem was caused by a large number of houses throughout the villages converting their garages into a living space.

"We have had 100 planning applications and the majority have been garage conversions and extensions," said parish council clerk Les Bishop.

"I think we are just setting up for a great problem," said Mr Eastwood.

"It's only going to get worse and not better. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

"A lot of houses don't even need planing permission to convert the garages."

The conversions could create further problems in the future, it was claimed.

"A four-bedroom house may only have parents and three children, but when they get older they might have their own cars or an older family might move in," Mr Eastwood said at Monday night's meeting.

The parish council called on the city council, which decides each application, to look at the general situation.

"On an individual basis they do not pose a problem but when there are several applications in one area they should be considered collectively," said Mr Eastwood.