A COUNCIL scheme to build more than 100 – mostly affordable – flats in Bournemouth has been given the green light.

BCP Council’s planning committee approved the Princess Road scheme on Thursday, despite being warned it could lead to the loss of every tree on the site.

But even with permission having been granted, work cannot start until it has approval for a Sang, the same situation that has caused the Winter Gardens development to stall.

The £32 million development of the former Victorian villas in Princess Road was agreed by the council’s cabinet in 2019 as part of efforts to boost the number of ‘affordable’ homes being built.

About 70 per cent of the 119 flats proposed across the four blocks, the tallest of which will be nine storeys, planned for the site off the Wessex Way.

The development will also feature a 20-bed hostel to house families at risk of homelessness.

Concerns were raised at Thursday’s planning committee meeting about the amount of parking provided on the site but councillors were told it met the requirements of the council’s policies.

Planning officer Tom Hubbard said there would be some “harm” caused by the development but that this was outweighed by its benefits.

He recommended that councillors approve the scheme when they met to consider it on Thursday.

However, council tree officer Patrick Clarke said the development would put trees in the area “under severe threat”.

“The initial impact is we lose 50 per cent of the site’s trees,” he said. “I believe the harm to the root systems and extensive pruning will involve their loss.

“It will be over time, [but] I would assess the majority of trees will be lost within five years of completion of the development, due to harm to their root systems and their branches.”

Despite this, councillors backed the position of Mr Hubbard and voted to grant planning permission, welcoming the provision of extra affordable homes.

“I think it looks like an extremely well thought out smart development,” councillor Ann Stribley said. “I know if I were looking for a new home, I would be thrilled at the opportunity here.”

Planning permission was granted by 11 votes to two.

However, work to build the flats cannot start until the council has an approved Sang (suitable natural alternative greenspace) park in place.

This is also the case with the £150 million Winter Gardens development in the centre of Bournemouth which was given planning permission in 2019.

The council has submitted a new planning application for a Sang at Hicks Farm in Throop after its first attempt was refused by the planning committee in the face of widespread opposition from people living in the area.