THE developers hoping to build on Bournemouth’s Winter Gardens site have gone back to the drawing board following a wave of criticism.

The original plans for a £100million leisure complex – which include a 10-storey cinema, three apartment blocks housing around 238 flats, a hotel and around 10 shops – will go before Bournemouth’s planning board next Thursday with a recommendation to refuse.

But recognising their proposals were likely to fall foul of planners, the developers have now scaled back their plans.

Their amended proposals, which make the cinema and public plaza bigger, completely remove a 12-storey tower and reduce a 15-storey tower to a more modest six-storey block, are set to be considered separately at a later date.

A spokesperson for the scheme said: “The principle of the mix of uses on the scheme has been found to be acceptable.

“The tall tower next to the BIC was deemed unacceptable in terms of height, the architects and agents have recognised this and have already submitted amended drawings addressing those concerns.

“These have gone to the council and will be considered in the next couple of weeks.”

The original plans have sparked objections from the developer of the adjacent Terrace Mount site, from the owner of the Royal Exeter Hotel, from the Civic Society and several local residents.

Principal planning officer Steve Davies said in his report to councillors that any proposed redevelopment needed to be “tourism-led”. He said: “While the proposal includes a cinema/leisure unit and hotel the dominant and principle use is residential. The cinema and hotel are to some extent tucked away at the rear of the site.

“While in terms of floorspace they form a significant element of the project their success could be prejudiced by their location within the development.

“The residential elements appear to be the dominant land use.”

And the objection from the Bournemouth Civic Society said the development was “more appropriate to very large international resorts such as Miami or Acapulco than to the English South Coast”.

It adds: “The society feels that quite apart from the total artificiality of the proposed central piazza, the massive series of buildings along Exeter Road would completely cut off the historic gardens of the Winter Gardens site from passing visitors.”