Revised flats bid hoping to get approval

The scheme to bulldoze the Kimberley, Waldorf and Henderson Hotels on Wimbourne Place, South Promenade, has been rejected three times previously.

Revised proposals being put before the planning committee on Tuesday include removing the penthouse apartment to reduce the height of the building, reducing the number of flats from 91 to 88 and increasing parking to provide one space per flat.

The application is being recommended for approval.

Residents of Clifton Drive are objecting on the grounds of the height, the impact on their privacy and traffic.

However planners say the potential regeneration benefits of the multi-million pound scheme outweigh objections.

A report to the committee says “on balance, officers consider the regeneration benefits of the proposal in terms of replacing outmoded holiday accommodation with a new residential offer” outweigh other considerations, including the “possible impact on neighbouring residents and hotels”.

They add the scheme will not be “significantly different” in height to the Hampton-by-Hilton Hotel being built on the site of the former Palm Beach Hotel, also on Wimbourne Place.

The proposal has previously been thrown out on the grounds of over intensive development and lack of parking.

The key changes included in the revised application include:

A reduction in the number of flats from 91 to 88.

The removal of the penthouse floor (seventh floor).

An increase in the number of car parking spaces so that there would be one space per flat.

 The proposed inclusion of mobility parking spaces within the car park.

 The retention of a right of way for rear pedestrian access from the Ocean Bay Hotel to the

north of the site to the back street.