A NEW scheme to build on a busy Bournemouth car park will be presented to councillors next week.

Last year the partly council-owned Bournemouth Development Company (BDC) submitted a bid to build a five-storey block of 44 flats on the Durley Road car park in West Cliff.

However in July this year the planning board rejected the scheme, against the officer recommendation, criticising the design of the proposed building and the lack of research on parking need in the area.

A new bid by BDC, which is a partnership between the council and investment firm Morgan Sindall, will be shown to the board at its meeting on Monday. It is not a formal planning application.

Board chairman David Kelsey said: "The design of the original building was totally out of character for that area, and with two new buildings we had just approved on the Wessex Hotel site next door.

"Also we wanted further information on car parking, particularly in relation to St Michael's School nearby. Where are mum's going to drop off their kids, that sort of thing.

"We will scrutinise the application very closely to ensure these issues have been looked at."

The original plans received 55 objections, many from parents whose youngsters attend the nearby school.

A consultation sparked complaints from those who argued the questions suggested that the decision to grant the development had already been made, leading to an apology for the wording.

The officers' report said the then recently-purchased Avenue Road car park could be used as an alternative, as well as the nearby West Hill car park which is already used by parents.

The Durley Road scheme was submitted at around the same time as BDC's Berry Court car park scheme, which has since been granted approval and is under construction.

Several other car parks around the town have been earmarked for development by the firm.