Horfield residents want Bristol Rovers to go back to the drawing board with plans to redevelop the Memorial Stadium – more than two years after the scheme was first approved.

The club has been in talks with Bristol City Council since it announced plans to redevelop the ground in phases while matches continued on site, rather than moving to Cheltenham to allow building work to take place in one go.

Residents living near the ground believe a fresh planning application should be submitted in light of the change, claiming the phased development will cause more disruption than was originally proposed.

Steve Barrett, a member of Horfield Residents Opposed to Stadium Expansion, says the new construction plan involves 33 months of building work, rather than the 18 months originally agreed.

The 55-year-old, who lives in Filton Grove near the stadium, said: “We are very concerned because it would mean an extended build period.

“While building work is going ahead, there would be no parking provision at the ground and residents would get noise seven days a week.

“Because the stands will disappear, one by one, the noise won’t be contained and will be released to local housing. Under the original plans, the work would have been carried out in the centre of the ground, with everything being built around the outside and noise would have been contained.

“Under the latest plans, everything will be going on at the boundaries of the site, with football matches going on as well.

“We think the club should reapply for planning permission. A number of conditions mentioned in the first application will not be met.”

Bev Knott, Liberal Democrat councillor for Bishopston, said: “I asked the planning department ‘doesn’t this need a new planning application?’ and it would be a good idea to have greater clarity.

“They must do things properly. The council said in November that they would get legal advice and that arrived in December and discussions have been going on since then.”

Planning permission for the redevelopment was granted in January 2007 and the club has three years to start work before it lapses.

Rovers announced in October 2008 that they had scrapped plans to play home games at Cheltenham while they built their new £35-million stadium.

A major rethink of how construction would be carried out could make it possible for both the football club and Bristol Rugby to stay put. The construction plan will be organised in phases so that at no time does capacity fall below 8,500.

The club insists the new 18,500-seater stadium – which was put back a year by the credit crunch – will be built, complete with a hotel and more than 500 units of student accommodation.

Bristol Rovers hope to start work in the summer and complete the redevelopment by the start of the 2011-12 season.

But last month, the club’s chairman, Nick Higgs, said Rovers were yet to secure a deal to fund the redevelopment.

Bristol Rovers’ director of finance, Toni Watola, said: “It is true that we have been and will continue, to talk to the council to ensure that as the development proceeds it continues to fit in with the Section 106 agreement and other aspects of the planning permission. We are working very closely with the council to make sure all the planning conditions are met.

“We had detailed discussions with them around six weeks ago, and believe we have met all the issues that have been raised regarding the changes in the development process.”

A council spokesman said: “We are currently are in talks with the club and developers over their revised proposals. We need to ensure that the various planning consents and Section 106 agreement would still be complied with under the proposed new arrangements.”