PLANS to make a home out of a backyard outhouse have sparked a furious response from neighbours.

Mother and daughter Maggie and Kate Frankish say their Fountayne Street home, off Wigginton Road, will be blighted forever if the plans get the go-ahead.

The proposals focus on a derelict store and garage in the rear yard of their home. Owing to a land agreement, the building is not on their property, and has been sold separately.

Planners have now recommended that councillors approve the development at their meeting next Wednesday.

"It's an absolute farce; I mean, it's not much bigger than a bedroom width-wise," said Kate, 21.

"We were just appalled when we found out the council was considering this, and then that the officers said it should be approved.

"The building is tiny, and turning it into a house will obviously ruin our quality of life."

Previously owned by a plumbing firm called Collinsons, the building was recently bought by the applicant, Harriet Boys, after a previous, similar application by other owners was unsuccessful.

Maggie and Kate believe the proposed house will look directly into the windows of their home. Several neighbours have also voiced their opposition to the plans.

Ms Boys declined to comment, but architect Matthew Laverack, who has drawn up the plans, dismissed the neighbours' fears.

"All we want to do is to turn it into a single person's home, the kind of thing this city is desperate for," he said.

"To say that the design will overlook the existing house is rubbish, as no windows will face the current house.

"If you think about it, people live on boats and in caravans. This building is much larger than either of those things, and would be perfectly suitable as a place for this lady to lay her head."

A spokesman for City of York Council said: "This is a highly contentious matter which we have investigated thoroughly."

He said the previous application had been refused on grounds of lack of amenity in the building itself, and loss of amenity and privacy for neighbours.

Of the new application, he said: "On balance, our officers do not believe there are now any grounds for refusal. "

Updated: 10:56 Thursday, March 14, 2002