PLANS for a controversial flat development have been approved despite council infighting over parking.

Bournemouth’s planning board had previously adjourned a decision on a proposal to demolish 15 Westbourne Park Road, currently an unauthorised House in Multiple Occupation, and erect a block of eight flats in its place with two on-site parking spaces.

This came after concerns were raised that the council officer recommending the Valegate development for approval had not taken planned double yellow lines into consideration.

At October's planning meeting, however, development control team leader Trevor Sills said even with the double yellow lines “there would still be sufficient space”.

Mr Sills said that parking spaces on the road were taken up by employees of insurance company LV= during the daytime, but that during the evening there was a “reasonable amount” available.

Rejecting this, board member Cllr Stephen Bartlett said: “Of the three visits I have made, I came up with a vastly different result from our own assessment.”

He said complaints from residents in the road had been “vociferous”, adding that the development will “only exacerbate” the parking problem.

“I have no doubt in my mind there is a real parking issue for the residents there already – and how we can actually suggest it is acceptable to meet the additional demand by on-street parking – frankly it is beyond me how we can come up with that,” Cllr Bartlett added.

Mr Sills responded that he had made site visits and found it “difficult to substantiate an objection.”

Cllr Gina Mackin, who lives close to the proposed development, moved for it to be approved after saying she had noticed spaces available when she had driven past. This was seconded by Cllr Pat Oakley.

The meeting’s chair, Cllr David Kelsey, said: “Funnily enough having driven up and down that road it is not the parking that concerns me more than anything. It is the fact it is a very narrow road. There is parking all down one side and I couldn’t get down because there was something coming from the other direction.”

Cllr Kelsey added that a one-way system could be considered to alleviate the problem.

The plan was approved 4-2 in the vote, with Cllr Phil Stanley-Watts joining Cllr Bartlett in opposing the development.