A CONTROVERSIAL plan to build homes on an old school site overlooking the Jurassic Coast have been resubmitted to civic chiefs.

Underhill Construction Limited have resubmitted plans for the redevelopment of Underhill Community Junior School on Portland into 20 new properties, ranging from one-bed flats to five bedroom houses to Weymouth and Portland Borough Council.

They site had formerly been owned by Bayview, however it has since been sold to Underhill Construction Limited.

The revised plans will see four plots on the site change from single storey flats to two storey houses after Bayview noticed that there had been a large amount of space which had been underutilised.

The company said that a new layout on the plot would be more in line with the needs of the local people as starter homes, rather than luxury one bedroom flats.

They added: "We, therefore, look to alter the flats into private, two storey dwellings with individual access and private amenity spaces.

Alongside this, plans for another plot have also been split up into two separate two-bedroom homes after concerns were raised by neighbours about the height and structure of the building.

They said: "Discussions took place with the neighbour to the rear of Plot 17 and concerns were raised as to the proposed building’s height and the impact this will have upon their amenity space."

Alongside this, Bayview has also proposed changes to provide additional parking through unused space on one of the plots on the site as well as enhance disabled access.

They concluded that careful consideration and sympathetic design had resulted in a revised plan that was both complementary to the area and also attractive whilst retaining the existing features of the original school building.

The original application was approved by just one vote in November after five councillors voted in favour and four rejected the plans.

More than 100 objections were raised about the plan including from Portland Town Council and the Weymouth Civic Society who all said that the plans would be overbearing, impact on residents' privacy and be damaging to the area.

However, Managing director of Bayview, Bill Buckler said the design was the 'ultimate form of recycling', maintaining the historical façade of the school and its bell tower and in 'sympathy' with the local area.

The revised plans will be considered by the council in due course.