CONTROVERSY over the explosion of flats in Poole and Bournemouth looks set to mount today as Poole Council considers applications for four more developments.

A total of 62 flats could be approved at today's planning committee meeting, with officers recommending granting three of the four applications.

Three more developments were given the go-ahead by Bournemouth planning chiefs on Monday, prompting one councillor to dub the town "Flatsville-on-Sea".

Similar resentment is simmering in Poole, where residents believe that excessive flat developments are destroying the character of the area.

Cllr Anne Stribley, chair of Poole's planning committee, told the Echo this week that planning was about "the management of change".

She said there was clearly a demand for flats in Poole, but stressed "inappropriate" blocks would not be approved.

Between April 2006 and March this year, 114 homes were demolished and more than 600 flats were completed in Poole. Three of the four applications up for discussion today involve the demolition of houses.

The applications cover two town-centre developments and two in Canford Cliffs.

A 33-flat development is planned on the site of the Conservative Club on Wimborne Road, close to Barclays House, with a new club incorporated into the building.

There is a revised application for a block of eight flats on Globe Lane, a scheme that has already been refused twice.

The application for a 14-flat development on Haven Road in Canford Cliffs is likely to prove particularly contentious with the proliferation of flats already occurring on the road.

Cllr Carole Deas red-carded the scheme after neighbours raised concerns over the character of the area.

There are also plans submitted to demolish a house on Lakeside Road, Canford Cliffs, and build a block of seven flats.