A MAJOR £120million plan to build new student halls, a 128-bed hotel and offices at Bournemouth’s Lansdowne has been approved.

Developer Watkin Jones was granted permission to begin transforming the three sites on Oxford Road, Holdenhurst Road and Christchurch Road at the council’s planning board meeting on Wednesday.

The proposals include two purpose-built blocks to accommodate 930 students and a development for teaching and business use as well as the new hotel.

They include 400 underground parking spaces across the sites and the students’ tenancy agreements will require them not to bring a car to the town.

There will be 212 square metres of retail space on a new walkway between Christchurch Road and St Swithun’s Road, a pedestrian plaza linking Holdenhurst Road and Oxford Road and another between Christchurch Road and St Swithun’s Road.

Moving for the scheme to be approved, Cllr Pat Oakley, the planning board’s vice chair, cited the 12,500 students in Bournemouth not currently living in purpose-built accommodation and said more will be needed to keep up with demand.

“To put that in perspective you are talking about 2,500 family properties that have to be converted to houses in multiple occupation in order to cater for those 12,500 students,” he said.

“Over the next five years Bournemouth University is looking to increase the number of students seeking accommodation in our town.

“The talked about figure, but not official, is a 25 per cent increase, which would bring a further 4,500 students.”

Ward councillor for the town centre David Smith raised concerns that the mixed-use development could be used by the university rather than businesses.

“I hope that Watkin Jones play ball and try and do their upmost to let these as office blocks rather than just stick them over to the university for more teaching space,” he said.

He added, however, that he was grateful to the developer for its investment into the area, which showed a “faith and confidence in Bournemouth”.

Cllr Sue Anderson seconded Cllr Oakley’s motion to approve after first expressing concerns about the width and security of the walkways planned between the buildings.

“I hate lanes,” she said. “I hate small gaps between big buildings because unless they are really attractive and properly policed they can become places for nefarious persons.”

Council officers assured her the pathways would be at least eight metres in width and as part of the developer's £650,000 contribution to “improve the public realm”, they would be paying for additional CCTV.

Chair of the planning board, Cllr David Kelsey, said previous concerns over parking and timings had been resolved following negotiations with council officers.

“It is a major investment in the town in an area that in the last 10 years has seen nothing,” he added.