A PROPOSED oil well off the Studland coast could have a "significant negative impact" on tourism in Bournemouth, the council has said.

In its response to a scoping report prepared by Corallian Energy, which is seeking permission from Government regulator OPRED to drill in Poole Bay about seven kilometres from Bournemouth beach, the borough drew a comparison with the rejected Navitus Bay wind farm scheme.

"Bournemouth Borough Council are aiming to be a Green Economy Leader, and are one of the greenest cities in the UK," the council said.

"By definition oil exploration near to our coastline does not fit with these aims."

The borough said surveys conducted in 2015 and earlier this year showed more than 80 per cent of residents and holiday makers interviewed along the promenade said "uninterrupted sea views" were "important" in their decision to visit the beach.

It said the borough and neighbouring Poole together hosted 10,749,000 tourists in 2015, leading to £941,523,000 of business turnover and 16,428 actual jobs, or 10 per cent of all employment within the conurbation.

"The natural amphitheatre of Poole Bay and attendant coastal sea views present the principal visitor attraction for the resort and, together with its landscape setting, the key reason for the foundation of modern Bournemouth itself back in 1812," the council said.

"Any changes to this, however temporary, could have a significant negative financial impact on the local tourism economy."

The Navitus Bay wind farm would have been located some 16.5km from the beach, and was widely criticised for its potential impact on tourism.

In examining the proposal, the Government concluded it would have a negative impact on several Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.

"Whilst it is appreciated that the scale and duration of the proposal is different from Navitus we suggest that many of these points will be pertinent to the applicant's proposed offshore oil exploration proposal and we would expect the applicant to address these issues directly," the borough said.

The proposed well would be 1,800m long, drilled vertically into an area dubbed the 'Colter Prospect'.

The report indicates a 'jack-up' platform with extendable legs will be used to drill. Its highest point would be roughly 100m above sea level.

The council says it anticipates "a further application to undertake full scale drilling and extraction of hydrocarbons from the Colter seam", and calls for an environmental impact report on the long-term effects of drilling at the site.

Dorset County Council has also responded to the plan. Planning and minerals team leader Mike Garrity said it had sought to "flag up the range of environmental matters that need to be considered by the decision maker".