A proposal for an Art Deco style retirement apartments building rising to 12-storeys on a former Poole convent, has been submitted by McCarthy and Stone.

Their proposal for the former St Joseph’s Convent in Parkstone Road is for a mix of 57 assisted living and 23 retirement homes on the 1.14 acre site.

It already has planning permission for a seven-storey block of 52 retirement homes. However the Bournemouth-based company felt the Borough of Poole deserved a “signature development”.

The building design, which will go before Poole planners, rises to 12-storeys and steps down to six and then five storeys to fit in with the neighbouring Churchfield Court apartments.

The neighbouring accommodation tower at Poole Hospital rises to 13 storeys.

“Our vision for the site from the outset has been to raise the quality of housing for people in later life and create a modern, signature building which Poole can be proud of,” said Shane Paull, regional managing director for McCarthy and Stone.

“We could build using the site’s existing consent today,” he said. “However, we’re committed to delivering a signature development which positively contributes to the townscape of Poole and raises the bar for local architecture.

“For us it’s important that people in later life have access to a wide range of housing choice, which not only offers an enjoyable and rewarding environment in which to live but provides comfort in the knowledge that help and support is on hand if required.”

Residents and bodies including the Open Spaces Society, Parkstone Bay Residents Association and Dorset Lake Residents’ Association all objected to the loss of the building, which was built between 1860 and 1875 and became a convent in 1925.

It was demolished in early 2010.