PARENTS are fighting plans to merge three respite centres for children with disabilities into one centre at a former old people's home.

Many families oppose the move by Bromley Primary Care Trust, and a group calling itself Parents Against the Proposal for an Integrated Children's Disability Service has set up a campaign website.

It says the proposed centre in Chislehurst Road, Orpington, is an "institution" with small bedrooms, lacking light and with a tiny garden.

It also objects to the building's location on a busy main road, with no nearby shops, and on the outskirts of the borough.

Parents of children at Saffron House, Orpington, one of the few autism-specific respite centres in England, are particularly unhappy.

Julie Vaughan, 36, of Hayfield Road, Orpington, has a son Luke, 11, there.

She said: "Parents would like to think the council is formally obliged to provide the best care for sick and disabled children. Again, however, it looks like financial concerns are the motive behind the proposals."

The group wants to discuss alternatives with the council before the project goes ahead.

The council says it plans to spend £1.2m on redesigning the building, all bedrooms will meet national standards and the garden can be made suitable.

Possible traffic-calming measures will be considered.

Children and families assistant director Rory Patterson said: "There's a real need to modernise the existing service and provide more beds for the increasing number of children requiring respite care and parents whose children are not currently provided for see this as an opportunity for a long-awaited break."

He promised any changes will be carefully planned to minimise the impact on children and a parent-management group is presently being recruited to steer the project.

Visit freewebs.com/bromrespite for further information about the campaign.