After submitting a pre-application notice with Renfrewshire Council, Cala is planning to build the development at Northbar, Florish Road, the area which separates Erskine and Inchinnan.

But the proposals, which include 75 detached family homes and a large pond area, have prompted fury among locals who argue it will destroy the town’s greenbelt area and pose a safety risk to children.

Cala has since insisted it is at a “very early” stage with regards to the plans.

Scores of residents from Erskine and Inchinnan attended a public consultation, held at Erskine Sports Centre last Thursday (April 3), to raise their concerns over the proposals.

John Ross, chairman of Inchinnan Community Council, has blasted the plans – saying it will mean the village and Erskine will no longer have a divide.

He told The Gazette: “I went to the consultation with an open mind but came out appalled. No one is happy about this.

“Where they are proposing to build these houses is in the area which acts as a buffer between Inchinnan and Erskine.

“Not only are they going to try to take our village away, they’re also proposing to destroy a large number of trees, some of which have been there for more than 100 years.

“This is going to destroy the identity of our village and turn the whole place into concrete – no one wants to live in a place with no green space.” Another furious Erskine resident told The Gazette of his fears that the proposed pond area would be a “serious hazard” for youngsters in the town.

The 44-year-old said: “It was an absolute disgrace, all they had was a few drawings of roads and a pond.

“People are all fired up after hearing about the plans because the representatives seemed to have no clue what they were talking about.

“We asked questions like, how deep will the pond be? How much will the houses cost? What primary school will the hundreds of children in the area go to if they live in the houses? But they kept saying they didn’t have the answers as it’s still in the planning stages.

“It’s also a bad idea to put a pond in the middle of a town with family houses and children running about. It’s an absolute sham.

“In my view, no-one in the town actually wants this. All the company appeared interested in was if anyone was planning on buying a house.” After researching the cost of Cala five-bedroom homes, councillors have estimated they could cost up to £300,000.

A Cala Homes spokesman said the firm had listened to concerns about the reduction of green space and would try to retain trees and create new open space.

“We also heard concerns about the provision of a pond on the site,” he said. “The location and nature of this will be developed as we progress with our detailed designs and the system will be designed and installed to comply with Scottish Water guidelines. “As the submission progresses, assessments will be carried out to assess roads and amenities to ensure the correct networks are in place should the development go ahead.”