The window of Malcolm Heasam's lounge is small but on a summer evening it is just big enough to let the sunshine filter in.

But now he fears views of the tranquil suburban sunsets from his semi-detached home will be put in the shade.

His next-door neighbours have applied to build a conservatory on their side of the red-brick property.

An everyday case for Brighton and Hove City Council's planning committee, one might imagine.

But Mr Heasam, a supervisor at Brighton station, is uneasy about the situation.

For his nextdoor neighbour is Anne Meadows, a councillor and one-time member of the planning panel.

Like many neighbourhood disputes, the case has a history.

Three years ago, Mr Heasam, 35, applied to the panel asking to build an extension at the back of his house in Mackie Avenue, Patcham.

It took three attempts before councillors approved the plan, holding firm to guidelines which protect neighbouring properties from overshadowing each other.

His suspicions have now become aroused because he fears those same council officers are giving Coun Meadows and her husband Tony a little more leeway.

He believes the plans for their conservatory, 10ft high and just 2ft from the boundary, fall foul of the same restrictions which caused him such a headache in 1999.

Planning officers admit they would normally have thought twice about allowing the structure because under normal rules a distance of 3ft is strictly enforced.

But in their report they said because the conservatory, by its nature, is glass it should not cause problems.

Mr Heasam said: "I had to work very hard to make sure my application met all the planning guidelines before I could build it. But I'm worried they can just put up whatever they want. I will not allow this conservatory to be built unless it meets the guidelines."

Members of the planning committee will go to Patcham to see the houses for themselves on September 24 before their next meeting.

Mr Meadows said his wife has had no role in designing the structure.

"This is my project, not my wife's, and I know she is annoyed about these accusations," he said.

"I don't know much about planning laws. That is the council's job."

Acting planning committee chairman Bob Carden said: "There is nothing untoward about the way we are considering this application. We are sitting here honestly and fairly."

A spokeswoman for the council said: "A council lawyer pointed out the application should only be looked at on planning grounds. There has certainly been no favourable treatment."