PLANS to build a seven-storey student housing facility in Lansdowne have been approved despite being compared to a Soviet-era tower block.

Members of Bournemouth council’s planning board agreed to approve the demolition of Hendy House to make way for the new block despite mixed feelings about the building’s design.

Submitted last year, the initial scheme was for a 10-storey building but this was scaled back following concerns.

Council planning officers had recommended that the application be approved, saying that it would not “materially harm” the amenities of people living closest to the site.

However, Weston Drive resident Andrew Ford said that there was no need for more university accommodation to be built in Lansdowne.

“It feels as if I’m living in a Bournemouth University campus which is dominating the area,” he said.

“We have got a lot of students in the area and we are going to have 206 more – does the university need to build it here? Can it not be built closer to the campus?”

Representing the developers, Savills planning consultant Peter Lamb said that the building had been designed “purely speculatively” with no university contributing to the planning process.

“The university is growing, the arts university is growing and other colleges are growing,” he said.

"This has not been designed for Bournemouth University – it is purely speculative.

“Students are very good for the town and its economy and we feel that we have got a very high-quality scheme now to properly utilise the site.”

Changes had been made to the proposal initially submitted with a new architect drawing up the now-approved scheme following concerns raised by members of the public.

The design was altered to make the building ‘step down’ towards the residential homes behind the site with the rear being just two storeys.

However, Cllr Laurence Fear hit out at the look of the building saying: “The only place I feel this design would be acceptable is behind the Iron Curtain in 1950s eastern Europe”.

His views were backed by other councillors but the scheme was approved with a majority of members supporting a motion to grant planning permission.

Cllr Stephen Bartlett said: “I can see no merit with the building that’s there currently. I don’t think this will make it worse.

“My initial thought when I first saw the design was that I wasn’t quite sure but looking at the context I can see how they were trying to make it fit in with what’s there at the moment.”

Planning board chairman, Cllr David Kelsey, said: “It’s better than a lot of the other ones we have had.

“It’s a little bit square but we are not building the Ritz in that area.

“I think it’s a betterment for the area.

“It does look drab and a bit eastern block but that’s something that could be resolved by planning officers.”

Nine of the planning board’s members approved the move to grant permission for the building with one voting against and one abstaining.