Controversial plans to demolish part of a former school and build 20 new homes are set to go back before councillors.

The proposal for Underhill Community Junior School was narrowly approved by the Weymouth and Portland Borough Council planning committee in November, on condition that a proportion of the development was affordable homes.

But now, planners have submitted an amended plan, asking for that condition to be waived.

The committee will meet on Wednesday to decide whether to approve the scheme without an affordable housing contribution.

In November, the plans got the go-ahead by just one vote, after five councillors voted in favour and four against.

A report set to go before councillors states: “The planning committee resolved to approve the application at its meeting on November 8. The recommendation at the time was to approve the proposals subject to the completion of s106 legal agreement to secure an affordable housing contribution. Since then, the council’s viability advisor has accepted a case put forward by the applicants that the scheme is not sufficiently viable to provide the affordable housing sought. 

“Officers were not in a position to simply approve the application without the affordable housing contribution as this would have been contrary to the decision made by the committee. The lack of affordable housing provision in the instance impacts on the balancing exercise which members considered previously and therefore it has been necessary to bring the application back to the committee to be determined in light of the changed circumstances.”

There were more than 100 objections to the original application, including Weymouth Civic Society and Portland Town Council. A number of residents and Portland councillors spoke out against the plans at the planning meeting in November, with concerns ranging from the loss of views for other houses and the impact the development could have on bringing more traffic to the isle.

Margaret Leicester, vice-chairman of the planning committee, said no one living on Portland would be able to afford the homes proposed for the site.

But the committee also heard that developers Bayview had downscaled the plans and ensured they were in keeping with neighbouring properties, after extensive consultation with the borough council and residents.

Bill Buckler, managing director of Bayview, also said that building on brownfield sites such as a former school would ease pressure on green-belt areas.Cllr Ian Bruce commented that it is a ‘well-designed site’.

The planning committee will meet to discuss the proposal at the borough council offices on Commercial Road at 9am on Wednesday.