PLANS for a block of dozens of specialist retirement flats in Canford Cliffs could be approved later this week.

BCP Council’s planning committee will be asked to approve the McCarthy and Stone scheme for the Carisbrooke site when it meets on Thursday (November 26).

A report published ahead of the meeting says the Canford Cliffs Road development “would provide housing for an ageing population in an area where there is demand”.

The Bournemouth-based company submitted its planning application at the beginning of the year saying the two existing five-storey buildings were “outdated” and needed to be replaced.

In their place, the firm hopes to build a seven-storey block of 60 assisted living an extra care flats with on-site carers.

The application will be considered by the planning committee on Thursday having been called-in for a decision by ward councillor Mohan Iyengar over concerns about its scale.

But McCarthy and Stone divisional managing director Shane Paull said there had only been “low levels of objection” from people living in the area.

“Our proposals for Canford Cliffs will help to meet a significant, acknowledged, and growing local need for specialist accommodation for older people,” he said.

“At the same time, research has shown that these developments stimulate the housing chain when homeowners choose to downsize, creating opportunities for families and first-time buyers.”

This position has been backed by council planning officer Claire Moir whose report published ahead of the meeting recommends that planning permission be granted.

She says the removal of an originally-planned eighth floor, and a reduction in size of the seventh have overcome concerns about the scale of the proposed building.

“The proposals would provide housing for an ageing population in an area where there is demand and close to local amenities,” her report says.

“The proposals by virtue of their siting, design and massing have been design to address the street scene in a sensitive manner and preserve neighbouring privacy and amenities.”

Councillors will consider the application when they meet on Thursday.