THE former David Lloyd site in Bournemouth, which has been derelict for years, is now set to be transformed with 74 Victorian-style apartments.

The site has been an eyesore for residents ever since the leisure centre was demolished in 2009 and previously approved plans to build sheltered housing on the land were never progressed.

Now development companies Juno and Bayview have been granted permission to build a total of 74 homes in three blocks of up to six storeys high.

The development will also contain a pool and a gym and 54 car parking spaces.

James Dean of Juno said: “Juno and Bayview in conjunction with Bradley Cheer, from Anders Roberts’ architects, are proud to be a part of this important development using land formerly occupied by the David Lloyd leisure club.

“This well designed imaginative scheme in the heart of the conservation area is a tribute to Anders Roberts’ ingenuity and skill working together with the council planning department.”

The application sparked eight objections from residents living near the site, who expressed concerns about inadequate parking, the number of flats proposed and the heights of the proposed buildings.

However the Bournemouth Civic Society supported the application, stating the flats had been designed to respect the two conservation areas that adjoin the site.

These proposals represent an increase on the last application, which was for 50 sheltered housing units and was approved in 2011. But planning officer Simon Gould said in his report: “In my opinion the architecture of each building and the proportions of the elevations to the roofs offer a better set of proposals compared to the 2011 scheme.

“The utilisation of a more traditional architectural style is considered to be more sensitive and in keeping with the prevailing historic pattern of development evidenced in the locality.”