BUILDERS Wyatt Homes are making a fresh attempt to win planning consent for their controversial harbourside housing scheme at West Bay.

The company has submitted an amended design for their 45 flats development which was rejected by planners in June.

The futuristic building was branded "brash and tacky" by members of the district council's development control west committee despite support from their own officers, the district architect, English Heritage and the West Bay Forum.

Wyatt Homes has lodged an appeal against that refusal and this week it also put in a new application for a modified design.

Boss David Wyatt told The News that they had drawn up the new scheme after listening to local concerns. The main changes included the use of Portland stone instead of render and the deletion of the curved roofs which were unpopular with some critics.

"We have picked up on people's comments and hopefully we will get this approved by the planners in October," he said.

The company has warned that if it fails to get the go ahead for the original or modified design it will have to adopt its "fall back" position - to build a previously approved scheme that was equally, if not more unpopular.

Principal area planning officer Gerald Hughes described this earlier design as "pastiche architecture of the worst kind" - 45 flats disguised as houses, with false windows and doors, no balconies, no gardens and no amenity space.

Despite his warning residents across West Bay have this week received letters urging them to register their protests against the latest scheme.

Campaigners Mary Fitzpatrick, of 18 Heron Court and John Holker of 13 Heron Court say the planning appeal followed by the submission of the amended plan has only served to confuse the situation.

They stress that the modified plan features only minor alterations.

"The building is still the same size but with some changes to the windows and a roof section removed to make open walkways between the blocks," they say.

They are urging opponents to write to the district council to object.

But West Bay Forum chief Roy Downing says the protesters, in their circular, have failed to point out what the alternative to the new scheme is.

"The only alternative to the latest design is a return to the 1996 approved "pastiche architecture" involving the dummy doors and Windows," he said.

"Do we really want this continuous terraced development on this site? If so we can say goodbye to sunrises and sunsets on either side of the development.

"This is make your mind up time with only two choices."