A man says construction work on the redevelopment of the former Ashdown Court is making his life a misery.

Keith Boylan, 54, lives in an annexe behind a house on Somerset Road, adjacent to North Street, and says the Bakers Court development – now well under way – has invaded his privacy.

He said: “The back of the flats are about 30ft away and the construction workers can see right into my bedroom and my garden.

“My bedroom and the garden can already be seen from two sides of the second storey of the building, and there is still a third level to go up yet. It has completely invaded my privacy.

“The noise is absolutely horrendous, six days a week from 8am until 6pm at night. I’ve tried complaining but there really is no use.”

Mr Boylan, who has been signed off work with a serious neck problem, says the problems are causing him a lot of stress and sleepless nights.

He has rented his property for five years but insists he has never been consulted about the construction plans and never imagined the building would be so close to his property.

Mr Boylan said: “I don’t think they realise how close they are to a residential property, maybe because I am in an annexe.

“I can’t work out how they got away with it because they’ve moved the flats further away from the road to give the new accommodation front gardens, which makes them even closer to my property.

“There is absolutely no consideration for the people who already live here.

“It is affecting me really badly and I’m always stressed out and frustrated.

“At the beginning of the year the site workers blocked off the alleyway which is the only entrance to my house.

“I had to use my neighbour’s front door for a month before they sorted the problem.

“No one gave me any warning or asked what kind of impact it would have on my property. I’m so angry.”

A spokesman for Ashford Borough Council confirmed that all properties in Somerset Road were included in the consultation as part of the formal planning process.

A spokesman for Affinity Sutton, the site’s developers, said: “The design was developed in consultation with the local authority’s planning department and measures have been taken to maintain privacy.

“For example, all of the principal rooms overlook the main streets at the front of the buildings.

“We have also used opaque glass to some windows and will be installing screening to the rear, along with trees in the parking area.

“The scheme is still under construction and these design aspects will become more apparent as we near completion.”