RESIDENTS have warned they will not sit back and let the council redevelop Greenhill Chalets without proper consultation.

Weymouth and Portland Borough councillors were told at a meeting yesterday that residents will not accept grand schemes that threaten the character of the area.

The management committee decided to agree a timetable that will give the public the chance to influence any plans.

Dozens of the crumbling chalets are set to be torn down because the council cannot afford to repair them. Consultants have been asked to deliver their opinion on what should be done to the site.

But Barbara Dubben, of Greenhill Gardens, told councillors: "The residents who live here have not been consulted at all on any proposal for redevelopment.

"When this does happen please do not let it be a paper exercise, the community is very concerned that the proposals are already too advanced.

"No just 'going through the motions' - can we have constructive consultation please?"

Mrs Dubben said if the council did not listen to residents the redevelopment 'could turn into another Pavilion fiasco for the council.' An artist's impression of how the site could look was put on public display earlier this year.

It showed the two-storey chalets replaced by four-storey buildings, construction of a flagship restaurant and a car park in place of tennis courts.

However, residents likened the design to the 'Starship Enterprise' and said they had not been consulted about the restaurant plans.

Mrs Dubben said: "We were part of a very limited questionnaire early last year, the results noted 85 per cent favoured provision of public conveniences with 79 per cent in favour of retention of the tennis court."

The cost of repairing the buildings has been put at £600,000.

The new timetable will see councillors meeting consultants on May 9. A few days later there will be a presentation of their report to residents.

Councillors hope to make a final decision on the plans by September.

Councillor Jacqui Redfern questioned whether the timetable gave councillors enough time to consider the plans.

She said: "We don't have a chance to see the presentation until two weeks into May."

Coun Brian Ellis said this was because council elections would cause a slight delay.

He said: "This has to go out for meaningful consultation then it will be for other committees to make the decision."