A PLAQUE commemorating the Winter Gardens concert hall should be put up in the new development, a councillor says.

The Bournemouth Development Company's £150 million scheme for the site, including flats, shops and leisure facilities, is currently being considered by council planners.

At a recent meeting Independent councillor Anne Rey called for some acknowledgement of the site's history to be included in the plans.

She said: "We as a town should never forget all the memories this building held for so many residents, visitors and performers, and let it take its place in history with pride."

The original glass Winter Gardens Pavilion was built in 1875, and was not used as a concert venue until 1893, when it was leased to Bournemouth Corporation.

It saw the likes of Edward Elgar, Hubert Parry, Jean Sibelius and Gustav Holst conduct Godfrey’s band, which became Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra.

Another Winter Gardens was built in 1937, originally as an indoor bowling centre, but it was converted into a concert hall in 1946.

The Beatles and The Rolling Stones played there in 1963, The Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1967, Pink Floyd played the entirety of Dark Side of the Moon there in January 1972, Elton John played there in 1972 and 1973, while both David Bowie and Wings performed in 1973 and Queen in 1974.

Tony Hancock performed there, as did other great names in comedy, including Morecambe and Wise, Bob Hope and Jack Benny.

At the meeting Cllr Pat Oakley, cabinet member for leisure and tourism, said a plaque was a "super suggestion".

"The Winter Gardens was central to Bournemouth's culture for many years, our town's heritage should be celebrated and this is a great opportunity to do so," he said.

"I will ensure an appropriate celebration plaque or public art piece is suggested to the developer."

Bournemouth Development Company is a partnership between Bournemouth council and Morgan Sindall Investments.

The proposed scheme, the largest in the town’s history, will if approved see the complete transformation of the 1.98 hectare (4.89 acre) site, which has been used as a car park since the demolition of the concert hall in 2006, following its closure four years earlier.

The plans include 352 one, two and three-bed apartments and penthouses.