PLANS to build 12 family homes on a Boscombe car park have been recommended for approval – despite a 244-strong petition objecting to the scheme.

The £1.8million council proposal to erect the properties at the Palmerston Road site will go before the authority’s planning board on Monday.

The project includes seven three-bed houses and five two-bed houses with back gardens along with 15 on-site car parking spaces. They will be available to purchase under the shared ownership scheme.

However, as well as a petition calling for the existing car park to remain, the authority has received five objection letters.

These highlight concerns that the loss of parking provision in the area could be “damaging” to the community and nearby businesses.

They also warn that it could “lead to excessive on street parking”, create noise pollution, overshadowing and that the amount of planned on-site parking is insufficient.

But senior planning officer Simon Gould has recommended that councillors grant permission to allow construction to begin.

In his report on the development, he said: “The applicant has provided a transport statement that demonstrates to the satisfaction of the highway officer that the loss of public car parking from this site can be accommodated in other nearby car parks in Boscombe – and on this basis it would be difficult to sustain a reason for refusal.”

Cllr Robert Lawton, cabinet member for housing, said: “If the development gets the go-ahead, the scheme will provide much needed affordable housing for local families and will contribute positively to the mix of housing types in the area and will assist residents in purchasing a home of their own.”

Work on the site, set to be funded partly by the Homes and Communities Agency, would begin in the spring or summer of next year.

The council is aiming to have completed the development by summer 2017.