CONTROVERSIAL plans to redevelop a famous building in Poole have been submitted, six weeks after an initial application was withdrawn.

An outline application was submitted by AJ Developments in March this year for the demolition of The Sloop in Poole and its replacement with 77 flats with parking, cycle and refuse storage.

However, the initial application was withdrawn in October as the scheme was considered to “not be of sufficiently high quality” and the scale of the plans were deemed “excessive and overly dominant”.

The new scheme is proposing 74 flats "in a highly sustainable location", as well as nine units of affordable housing.

Under the revised application the replacement community facility is in the form of nine affordable housing units.

According to AJ Developments, this “not only replaces the existing community floorspace but exceeds it and in turn provides much needed affordable housing".

A gym was also considered as an acceptable replacement community facility for the loss of the pub in Commercial Road. However, this hasn’t been included in the revised plans.

The size of the development has been dropped from five stories with the top floor recessed, to four stories with two recessed floors, “reducing the scale and mass of the built form in the wider context”.

To improve the building’s quality, the design will now include reconstituted stone.

The application states: “As a direct result the design quality and palate of materials has been re-considered and improved incorporating additional reconstituted stone with bronze detailing, adding verticality and architectural interest, such that the scheme would better reflect and respect the street scene and setting of the conservation area.

“Thus, the applicant firmly considers the proposal would outweigh the loss of the locally listed building.”

There will be 46 unallocated parking spaces, two car club spaces, four motorcycle spaces and 76 cycle spaces accessible via North Road, which will largely replicate the existing ingress and egress for vehicles.

The developer also plans to meet "10 percent of the predicted energy needs" for the unit via solar power.