PLANS for a care village with room for more than 300 people in Weymouth have been given the go ahead by councillors.

The application for the development to replace a dilapidated former navy site on Newton's Cove was put before the Weymouth and Portland Borough Council's planning committee yesterday.

Despite representations from members of the public claiming that the proposed complex would mar the unbroken view of Weymouth's iconic Jurassic Coast, councillors voted unanimously to issue conditional permission to the developers.

They agreed that though the buildings would be noticeable, they were not sufficiently imposing to warrant an opposition to the care village which would create 250 jobs.

Councillor Ian Bruce said: "When I look at a scheme like this, I wonder why we haven't encouraged them to get on with it several years ago.

"We all know about the problem of bed blocking.

"This takes a massive chunk off that without public money having to go into it.

"The number of people who would like to get jobs in this sector is huge and it is a growing area.

"Let's show that Weymouth is open to this kind of thing."

One of the main points of contention concerned a seven-storey rotunda, the largest building in the complex which developers acknowledge will be visible.

Chris Ross, director of New Care Horizons who are building the project, said: "In a period where we as a town have been hit with devastating news of business closures and job losses we are pleased to say this development will aim to provide a credible and wide selection of new employment positions both throughout the build and much longer term when operational."