Controversial plans for the Weymouth peninsula development are set to progress – despite calls to go back to the drawing board.

Councillors and co-opted members of Weymouth & Portland Borough Council's Harbour Management Board committee voted to support the progression of plans for Weymouth peninsula.

However, several members raised concerns about the plans, claiming hotel and leisure facilities were not right for the site.

Cllr Christine James said: “I don’t think we have listened to the public. I don’t think we consulted well. I don’t have much faith when we say we will come back and consult.

“From my point of view, we should go back with a blank canvas. As members we should have input in to the design – we have had no input.”

Cllr Ian Bruce said the council needed to move away from low cost seasonal accommodation.

“If we go forward with this, we are not going to solve that problem – we are making it worse,” Mr Bruce said.

Cllr Kate Wheller said the borough did not need more jobs for “chamber-maids and bar staff” but needed to attract “quality employment.”

Co-opted member, Steve Pitman said he thought the proposal for leisure facilities was "unimaginative" and a "budget hotel" was a poor centre piece for the development.

He added the priority had to be the functionality of the harbour.

Strategic director Martin Hamilton said, if moved forward, the project would be progressed in two phases.

The first phase would involve the ‘accommodation offer’ at the front end of the site which included a 100-bed hotel, a pub/diner with rooms, a small café, harbour developments and the upgrading services

The second phase would see the development of restaurants and leisure units towards the back of the site.

Mr Hamilton said the decision came as the current market for chain restaurants was “challenging” and the council was “not about doing speculative building”.

“We’ve come to the conclusion with our advisors that the way to progress is to come forward with phase one...and use that to develop to build confidence in the site, to build confidence that the council is serious in its investment,” Mr Hamilton said.

Mr Hamilton added: "At the moment we have an outline design. All of these elements are still in play. There is absolutely a commitment that the harbour will not only work but it will improve."

He added the description 'budget hotel' was not accurate and despite rumours on social media, the council did not yet know which hotel would be on the site and the council would go after the best hotel they could get.

He said at this stage all that was being sought was the support of the board to progress the plans and the council committed to future consultations with the board.

"If anything changes in terms of finances we commit to come back. We are not going to spend money at risk," he said.

However, despite the objections the board voted in favour of the recommendations, which will now go before the management committee next Tuesday.