MORE than 50 new homes are planned for the former police station site off Dorchester Road, Weymouth.

The proposed scheme by Signpost Housing Association and McCarthy and Stone involves building a block of 38 one and two-bedroomed flats, 37 of them sheltered units for the elderly with one unit for staff.

The remaining 18 homes would be affordable housing consisting of eight two-bedroom properties, nine three-bedroom and one four bedroom unit.

There would also be 25 car parking spaces provided for the 18 homes at the rear of the site accessed off Milton Terrace with 13 spaces for the sheltered scheme on the frontage accessed off Dorchester Road.

Flats would be built in the form of a T-shaped block, while homes at the back of the site would comprise two terraces of three and seven units parallel to Milton Terrace, a five-unit terrace at right angles to Milton Terrace and a three-unit terrace in the south east corner of the site between frontage properties and the new police station.

The scheme goes before Wednesday's Weymouth and Portland planning and traffic committee which will be told that 10 objections have been received so far from local residents. These include complaints that there are too many houses, that buildings are too high, that the scheme is overdevelopment and that extra traffic will cause congestion and highway danger.

Residents also fear that a playground linked to the development could cause noise, rowdiness and vandalism in Milton Crescent which is a quiet cul-de-sac while they are concerned that 13 parking spaces for the sheltered accommodation is 'totally inadequate'.

But planners will recommend councillors to delegate permission for the scheme to them subject to nearly 20 conditions including the type of homes, a play area and £56,000 towards open space improvements as well as materials, landscaping, parking and screening.

Planning manager Simon Williams says in a report: 'Overall I consider this scheme to be appropriate on this site in terms of the design, scale and mass of buildings on each frontage and I welcome the affordable housing provision which is able to be implemented this year.

'The landscape strategy indicates the provision of a number of new trees together with additional planting which will enhance the development.'