A LANGUAGE school will be converted into a block of 14 flats.

Bournemouth council has granted permission for the conversion, extension and alteration of a Victorian villa in Lansdowne Road in the Dean Part Conservation Area.

Of the proposed flats, two would be studios, eight one-bedroom and four two-bedroom.

A report by council officers said "language schools provide some tourism benefit to the town" but "this is a relatively small scale use and no longer provided tourism accommodation so is not covered by current tourism policy".

"The site has been vacant for a short while, and the business appears to have amalgamated with another local language school which is close to the site and therefore has not been lost entirely.

"It is stated that it was not viable to re-use the site for a language school use as there has been a fall in student numbers due to a number of factors.

"While no marketing information has been provided, it is considered unlikely to return to its former use."

Pure Town Planning, representing applicant High Profile Properties (UK) Ltd, said: "To facilitate the development, alterations and extensions to the roof were proposed and Pure Town Planning had to work through minor changes with the Bournemouth Borough Council planning officers to reduce the perceived bulk and mass from the roof alterations.