PLANS for a visitor centre at Hengistbury Head look set to be given the green light, despite 17 letters of protest including an objection from Bournemouth Civic Society.

Bournemouth council wants to alter and extend Barn Cottage to provide an information centre. The local authority has also applied for permission build a night storage area for the land train on a site adjacent to the sailing centre.

The proposal involves removing an area of grassland and providing landscaping to screen the area from public view.

The council is seeking to secure Heritage Lottery Funding for the scheme. While the county archaeologist has raised no objections, the council’s conservation officer has voiced concerns over the scale and design of the structure.

Twenty-eight letters of support have been sent to the Town Hall including representations from Natural England, English Heritage and the University of Oxford Institute of Archaeology.