“BOURNEMOUTH deserves better” than the “bland” multiplex cinema planned as part of the Winter Gardens redevelopment scheme, it has been claimed.

The plans to build a cinema-led leisure complex, hotel, shops, restaurants and 114 flats on the site have been submitted by Inland Ltd, a year after a similar scheme was unanimously rejected by the council’s planning board.

But the application has sparked a vociferous objection from the Save Bournemouth Odeon Campaign and from several Cranborne Road residents, who want to know what kind of leisure and entertainment is planned for the site.

Marcus Hughes, frontman for the Save Bournemouth Odeon campaign, said: “Whilst Bournemouth Council continue to present bland multibox proposals this campaign will continue to vehemently object on the grounds of loss of important culture and streetscape.

“The average multiplex cinema has as much architecture and atmosphere as a bar on the moon and Bournemouth simply deserves much better.”

Kevin Linzner, who lives at Carlton Mount in Cranborne Road, said: “On viewing the scheme I found this to be an exact replicate of the previous scheme submitted by APB Park Ltd last year, all be it without any exacting details of what the site would actually be used for and without any real understanding of the design, other than a rough shape.

“We all know what happened last time we built a box...we pulled the Imax down.”

Bournemouth’s Civic Society has welcomed some aspects of the design but still expressed concern the development would lead to “excessive, high density metropolitanisation of the Exeter Road frontage.”

But Mark Gilpin of Inland Ltd said: “This is a wholly new set of proposals than have previously been submitted for the Winter Gardens site. We are ambitious to bring an exciting and innovative public realm and Grand Garden Walk element, something local people were very excited about at the recent exhibition.

“Those who did attend the exhibition from Cranborne Road were broadly supportive of the proposals.

“We will be happy to engage further with residents and members of the Civic Society but are very keen to maintain the current planning application timetable.”