THE chairman of Bournemouth council’s planning board has described new plans for blocks of student accommodation in the town as “boring, square and dull”.

At yesterday’s meeting of the committee, councillors were given a pre-application presentation by developers Summix and Evolve on their plans to redevelop Richmond Gardens.

Two previous applications to revitalise the site through a £50m mixed-use project were approved in 2009 and 2013 but no developer felt that it was viable and the permission has lapsed.

New plans for the area, which is highlighted as a place for development in the council’s Bournemouth Town Centre Area Action Plan, have now been drawn up and are expected to be formally submitted in the summer.

However, councillors at Monday’s meeting said that they were disappointed with the information that they had been provided.

“Boring, square and dull and that’s about all I can say about it,” chairman David Kelsey said. “I really don’t think it’s suitable for that area.”

The council’s town centre strategy seeks to develop the area to provide about 150 extra residential units and to increase the number of parking spaces by 34.

But councillors were told that the latest proposal included no changes to the car park with developers in discussions with council officers over the possibility of providing the additional parking spaces elsewhere in the town.

The proposed development would encompass the same area as the previously approved scheme but only includes provision for student accommodation at the site with some disabled parking provided.

It would be made up of several linked buildings wrapped around the car park which would be about 10 storeys in height.

Jim Tarzey, a planning director at advisory firm Pegasus Group who has been working with the developers on the proposal, said: “The previous scheme was approved in 2009 and then that was renewed in 2013 and marketed as having planning permission.

“However, no company felt that it was financially viable or a deliverable scheme.

“This scheme has progressed quite nicely recently and we are confident we now have a scheme which can be delivered.”

He added that the scheme would be provided in a way which allows businesses close by to continue operating during any work.

Under planning rules, student accommodation does count towards the council’s house-building requirements which Mr Tarzey said allowed it to meet planning strategies.

As required in the town centre action plan, trees and other plants in the area would be retained under the proposal.

He said that a formal application was almost ready for submission and was expecting that it would be lodged early in the summer.