THE Borough of Poole is forging ahead with plans to remove a restrictive covenant banning development at Beach Road car park.

Civic officials have already started proceedings that could free up the Canford Cliffs site for new housing, but now they've issued official public notices of their intention to have the covenant discharged.

This notice allows people, who are legally entitled to the benefits of the restrictive covenant, to object to the application by November 10.

The covenant, limiting development on land between Beach Road, Pinecliff Road and Western Road, dates back to 1926.

According to the council's public notice circulating in local press, development at the site under the terms of the covenant was limited to "not more than six dwelling houses with or without stables or garages" and that the value of each house should not be less than £1,000.

In 1926 the average price of a house in the UK was just over £600.

Last month neighbours of the car park, which is five minutes walk from Branksome Beach, were contacted by the council, who informed them it was seeking to remove and /or modify the covenant.

Previously, in 2016 the council launched a consultation on proposals to develop the southern, upper section of the 350 space car park.

That move angered some residents, particularly those who had been campaigning, at that time, against controversial plans to introduce new parking charges along some of Poole's seafront roads.

Speaking to the Echo in September, Robert Reid - chairman of the Branksome Park & Canford Cliffs Residents' Association - said: "At our last AGM we took a vote on this and there was only a handful of people who thought we should get rid of the car park, which is one of the closest to the beach.

"A huge majority, over 90 per cent of the people there, thought it should be retained as a car park - so that is our position."