BOURNEMOUTH'S Waterfront open-air performance area could host up to 10 late-night events a year, under new plans submitted by the council.

A licensing application has been submitted for the former Imax site requesting permission to stage up to 10 events that could go on until 1am and involve alcohol being sold on site.

It has not yet revealed the nature of what it hopes to do.

The request, lodged by Jon Weaver of the tourism and events department, seeks to increase activity at the prime seafront site, which has benefitted from a £4million revamp ahead of the summer season.

However the application has sparked an objection from the council's environmental health department.

Rachel Elford, senior environmental health officer, said there could be two to three events per month during the summer, which had the potential to cause public nuisance.

She said there had been complaints in the past about noise from events that finished at 11pm and she would not want to see events ending any later.

"I have serious reservations about this proposal and would not support such an application," her objection states. "Any event held outside after 2300 hours will or has the potential to disturb nearby residential properties as well as people staying in nearby hotels particularly in the summer months, when it is not unreasonable to expect people to have their windows open for ventilation purposes."

To try and minimise problems, the council said it would first submit a noise management plan to environmental health, which would then be implemented from the first event onwards.

Dorset Police has also commented on the application, suggesting additional conditions requiring the council to tell the police who the nominated Designated Premises Supervisor is at every event, to use CCTV to cover the area at all events where alcohol is being sold and to have a minimum of two door staff on duty at all times when alcohol is being sold.

The application will go before Bournemouth Council's licensing board next Tuesday morning.