Parents urge council to buy land to block flats plan

Councillors refused to grant planning consent for a developer to build a two-storey block of six flats in Lordswood Road after parents and Hollybrook Infant School raised fears about new residents spying on their children.

However, after a lengthy argument, neither could councillors agree on fresh reasons to refuse the plans under a warning from planning chiefs that they ran the risk of wasting taxpayer's cash if they lost an appeal.

Instead a decision was deferred to sound out the council's education department, which had declared an interest in buying the site to build a pre-school.

The application was the sixth attempt to redevelop the site in 21 months.

Councillor Peter Baillie, Cabinet member for education, was one of more than a dozen objectors. He said it was his strong belief that a block of flats should not be built next to the school, adding: "Children's safety must be paramount."

Leading campaigner Penny Hastings, 47, whose six-year-old son goes to the school, said: "The issue of overlooking remains a huge issue for people."

The police said that while parents should be "alert to paedophiles", casual surveillance of the school playground would do no harm and could prevent crimes such as burglary.

Other objections, including those from ward councillors Liz Mizon and Alec Samuels, related to traffic from the flats causing a safety hazard for children and the fact that the development would be the first flats in a road of family housing.

The design was also criticised as being out of character with the area.

The developer, Bournemouth-based Redstone Homes, insisted that windows facing the playground were high level and only offered views up and out to protect the "privacy and amenity of the school".

Restone said that it was prepared to obscure the windows if necessary.

It could now launch an appeal on the grounds of non-determination.