Prom flats scheme is a '˜bold' design

The scheme, revealed last month in The Gazette, has been submitted by a consortium of developers hoping to build 113 apartments on the corner of Harrow Place and South Promenade which is currently occupied by the former Abbeydale Care Home.

Planning officers have recommended the application for approval by the council’s planning committee when it meets next Tuesday.

A report to councillors says: “The proposal is seeking to regenerate some disused care homes within a bold, modern building which pays homage to The Crescent to which it would be attached.

“At the same time it seeks to respect the setting of the building by stepping down from a focal point on the corner to The Crescent to the south and houses to the east.”

If the development gets the go ahead it will also see Harrow Place reconfigured and made one-way to provide additional parking spaces.

The report adds: “It is felt the regeneration benefits of the proposal outweigh the disadvantages of not providing one car parking space per flat.”

It is the latest in a number of schemes to come forward for South Promenade which has been blighted by fire-damaged and neglected buildings.

However last month councillors refused permission for a £7m scheme to replace the Kimberley, Waldorf and Henderson Hotels on Wimbourne Place, South Promenade, with 99 apartments amid fears about the height of the building and the lack of parking.