DEVELOPERS have drawn up new plans for the site of the former Poole Pottery store after concerns were raised about the height of their original scheme.

The proposals submitted to Poole council in the summer featured a seven-storey building on Poole Quay with 95 flats and retail space on the ground floor.

The historical Swan Inn pub was originally included in the plans and was proposed to be used as an educational facility.

However, Fortitudo, whose chief executive is the well-known developer Richard Carr, has now dropped the pub from its new plans following feedback from consultees.

As a result the revised scheme proposes 29 fewer flats, with 66 now spread across a six-storey building.

Three retail units are proposed, one more than previously, and these will stretch further along East Quay Road.

The undercroft parking, which featured in the last proposals, has been removed from the new scheme, and car and cycle parking is now be located at ground floor level. However, fewer spaces for cars are now proposed – 44 – and the previous number of 57 fell short of the council’s adopted parking standards.

In a letter to council planning officer Sarah Scannell, Brett Spiller, director of Fortitudo’s agent Chapman Lily Planning, explained how the new scheme addressed the concerns raised by the former proposals.

As well as reducing the building height, increasing the commercial element of the development would help create a more “active frontage” and encourage footfall, he said.

The smaller units could attract enterprises associated with the arts sector, or pop-up shops, he added.

Issues with the proposed development’s “unneighbourly relationship” with the nearby Dolphin Quays building have also been addressed, with the central section set back further than the previously proposed footprint.

“The applicant has worked positively to address the issues raised and the revised scheme is an improvement in all respects,” he said.

“In comparison, the updated scheme is a storey lower and occupies a reduced footprint. It provides more convenient access arrangements for pedestrians and cyclists and has a much-improved relationship between the proposed commercial units and the street, thereby increasing the opportunity to maximise footfall.”

He added the “unattractive former warehouse building” occupied by Poole Pottery “will be replaced with a fit-for-purpose development designed to serve as a landmark in this important part of Poole.”

Mr Carr previously said the scheme would “revitalise” Poole Quay by bringing new businesses and residents to the area.

The design of the building is inspired by the historic warehouse buildings along the quay.