FINAL permission has been granted for construction of a new block of flats in central Bournemouth.

The council had initially rejected the scheme for a seven storey block of 36 flats at Woodland Point, Wootton Mount, back in 2017.

Borough planners claimed the proposed block would be of “unacceptable bulk” and “excessive height and scale”, out of character for the area and “overbearing and oppressive”.

A similar complaint was made by Bournemouth Civic Society.

However applicant Devonshire Builders Ltd took the decision to the Planning Inspectorate which allowed the scheme on appeal.

The inspector said the building would “mediate satisfactorily” between taller buildings in Bath Hill, which “dominated” Wootton Mount, and small buildings in the immediate vicinity. “Whilst the building would be four storeys higher than the residential building at 1-3 Wootton Mount, I consider that the taller buildings immediately to the south are the more important in defining the character of the locality, and it would fit in well with this context,” the inspector said.

“The building would not disrupt any important skylines or views.”

Now the borough has approved the final reserve matters landscaping proposals for the site.

A report by planning officer Victoria Noakes says: “The applicants have provided a detailed landscaping scheme as part of this application. The information submitted has been assessed by the council’s arboricultural officer, who is not raising any objection to this proposal.”