An estate on Brentford High Street will be bulldozed to make way for 209 new flats – and residents are delighted to see it go.

Charlton House, Albany House and Osier Court in Brentford will be knocked down to make way for five apartment blocks ranging between one and eight storeys high.

In plans approved by Hounslow Council on March 21, all the new flats will be classed as affordable and will be redeveloped by the council itself. It will double the number of flats on the site and offer space for ground floor shops.

Dave, a local resident speaking at a council meeting who did not provide his surname, called the current buildings "old and very, very tired" and said the demolition and redevelopment was long overdue.

Dave has lived in Charton House for 29 years. He said: "Do the council need to knock down this housing stock? Of course they do. The majority [of the residents of these blocks] are for moving into accommodation fit for the 21st century."

He added that the residents he represented were happy with the plans and said he expected many of them would move back into the new development. Some residents living in nearby Market Terrace said the tower blocks would block sunlight to their homes.

Archika Kumar, representing Hounslow's estate regeneration team leading the development, reassured residents. She said: "We accept that Market Terrace in particular is sitting opposite single-storey garages which are overlooking a very open car park. Any kind of development put forward on that stretch will have an impact on residents and the surrounding area. Our proposition is that the impact will be acceptable and the quality of daylight and sunlight will still be very good. "