CONSERVATION groups and the public have been lining up to condemn plans for a tall block of flats on the site of Bournemouth’s former Odeon cinema.

And one objector has warned Bournemouth council that the “Imax farce” at the turn of the 21st century should be “as a lesson, not a blueprint”.

Libra Homes has submitted two alternative plans for the Westover Road site. Both involve keeping the frontage of the 1929 cinema but demolishing the rest to make way for a block of 10 or 14 storeys.

Both would contain two floors of shops, but one would have 84 flats and the other 101.

Bournemouth council’s website lists 53 comments on the earlier, smaller plan and 31 on its successor – almost all objections.

Opponents include the Theatres Trust, the Cinema Theatre Association, Bournemouth Civic Society and Dorset Police. Many called for the venue to be preserved as a cultural asset.

Peter Wylde of the Cinema Theatre Association, said the plans would “involve the destruction of important features of the 1929 cinema interior, including landscape paintings by Frank Barnes”.

He added: “These represent precious evidence of Bournemouth’s ‘super-cinema’ and the development of the Renaissance style used by the Provincial Cinematograph Theatres and Gaumont chains.”

John Sloane of Bournemouth Civic Society said the second application was worse than the first, adding: “The society very strongly is of the opinion that since this unbelievable application can in no way be said to comply with the townscape policies of the Bournemouth Local Plan, it should be roundly rejected.”

Grace Forge was one of several objectors to liken the proposal to the former Imax cinema, which was demolished after a public outcry.

“The Imax cinema farce should be used as a lesson, not a blueprint,” she said.

John Green, crime prevention and design adviser with Dorset Police, said of the second application that he was “still not convinced that security and safety have been addressed, and some of the issues are very fundamental”.

He added: “It will be too late if they do put 14 levels up to decide the car parking and service lanes have issues.”

Town centre councillor Bob Chapman was “totally opposed” to both applications and said “the idea of a tower block of apartments is totally unacceptable”.

A planning statement by Goadsby for the developer acknowledges it is outside the area designated for tall buildings and does not contain the amount of retail space required by local plans.

But it says there is “justification for departing from these policy requirements”.