PLANS to redevelop a former Royal British Legion club into a ground floor club with 10 flats above have sparked a wave of protest from residents.

Springbourne residents are furious that the plans for the Ashley Road club do not seek to provide any parking spaces and fear the development will lead to even more congestion on surrounding roads.

The 10 flats that Legion Developments wants to build on the first and second floors would ordinarily require 10 parking spaces, according to the council’s parking guidance.

But the developer has provided a traffic survey that claims there is spare capacity within the immediate area – a claim refuted by residents.

Bournemouth council dismissed the original survey as “invalid” because it did not comply with their requirements but states the proposed flats would generate less parking demand than the function room they seek to replace.

The application will go before Bournemouth council’s planning board on Monday with a recommendation from planners that permission should be granted.

A report from planning officer Richard Cable concludes that as long as the venue is properly managed, the development will safeguard the amenities of residents and provide a suitable living environment for future residents.

The application sparked 21 objections from residents, including a petition signed by 26 people.

Many said they already struggled to park near their properties and that the presence of Kings Park School and AFC Bournemouth’s Goldsands Stadium made parking even more difficult.

Elaine Findlay, chair of the Springbourne Forum, is set to appear before the board to urge councillors to reject the plans. Her objection, on behalf of residents, states: “The developer has felt it necessary to include a parking survey which deduces that there’s plenty of parking in the surrounding area based on a survey that was undertaken at questionable times and days of the week.

“There certainly aren’t 10, or in actuality 20 if you consider each flat may house at least two adults, parking places readily available in that vicinity on a day-to-day basis.”