REDEVELOPMENT plans for North Quay will need proper planning permission, it has been ruled.

As reported in the Echo, residents and some councillors protested last week over proposals by Acron South to turn the building in to flats.

They said that Weymouth ‘deserved better’ than the scheme proposed, which was to keep the existing shell of the 45-year-old former council building.

The council even sold the site with a planning application attached for a Georgian-style housing scheme linking in with the old fire station development.

But the new owner, Acorn South, was thought to be under no obligation to proceed with that scheme, and no conditions were imposed in the sale.

Its plan is to convert the exiting offices into flats – although its overall vision for the site has yet to be revealed.

As planning permission was already been granted, the developer was asking the council at this stage for ‘prior notification’ – approval for whether its proposal fits within the change of use from office to residential.

This is a technical question for officers rather than a planning application, and will not go to the planning committee for debate.

But yesterday afternoon the Echo received a document written by the council’s head of planning, which states that ‘express planning permission’ is required.

This is because the building falls in to the planning category of sui generis. For this class of building, express permission is required for change of use.

In the document, Jean Marshall says the council ‘considers that the proposal does not constitute permitted development [...] the council concludes that the principal use of the building concerned has been the administration of local government. As such use of the building concerned is regarded as sui generis.

‘The council therefore considers that express planning permission is required.’ Campaigners say it is great news as now residents can have their say on the scheme.

Cllr Jon Orrell, who wanted the plans to be publicly scrutinised, said: “I am delighted to find out today that the change of use has been blocked and that proper planning permission in the open with full public scrutiny will now happen. This is great news.

“Thank you to all the people who came out on Saturday.

“I am happy that we will now get to see plans in full and that the public will be able to view the development and comment properly on the future of North Quay and have their views taken into account. I hope we will be able to ensure a proper archaeological dig on this civil war battle site and also ensure there is affordable social housing.”

Acorn South has been contacted for comment.