Three new blocks of flats are to be built on Dorchester Road, Weymouth, between the Rembrandt Hotel and Cranford House.

The developers will not be providing any ‘affordable’ flats but will instead pay £87,500 towards schemes elsewhere in the town and a further £124,000 in community infrastructure levy.

The company argued that to have homes within the scheme for those on the housing list would not have been viable and difficult to manage.

Planning officers recommended approving the proposals for 31 flats in three blocks – two side-by-side fronting Dorchester Road and one to the rear with access off College Lane. The majority will be one-bed.

Planning officer Bob Burden said the design, in the style of Victorian villas, was an improvement on a previous design for a larger single block of 16 flats.

Councillors agreed and approved the scheme despite worries from some neighbours in Ricketts Close about a loss of light and privacy, although the developers had reduced the size of the rear block, to minimise this.

The application had also attracted concerns about the increase in traffic on School Lane, which is a private road.

Weymouth Civic Society claimed that the proposal is an overdevelopment and the buildings too high, a view shared by some objectors who said it would be a significant change to the character of the area.

The site will have more than 20 car parking spaces, some with electric charge points, and space for cycle parking.

The existing dilapidated buildings will be demolished as part of the proposal with the majority of existing trees remaining.

Developers Brownsea Build argued that although there will be a shortfall of three car parking spaces it does not accept that there will be the problems neighbours fear over parking. Their agent Carol Evans argued it was better to have more amenity space and cycle parking.

Cllr Kelvin Clayton said he welcome the use of the ‘brownfield’ site for housing while Cllr Louie O’Leary said that while he also welcomed it he would have preferred to see the existing traditional villas re-developed, rather than demolished.

Cllr Nick Ireland proposed accepting the permission, delegating some details to officers. He said the scheme was more in keeping with the area than the previous, approved design.