A DEVELOPER has blasted the Green Party for criticising his cinema scheme and emphasised its environmental credentials.

Trevor Osborne is building a £50million complex next to Bournemouth Pavilion but faced criticism from the area’s Green Party.

They said it would destroy an area of green space around the existing car park, take trade away from the existing shops and ruin the current view of the Pavilion.

However Mr Osborne told the Echo: “The cinema will be environmentally friendly and low carbon and it will replace two highly inefficient and outdated cinemas on Westover Road.

“They are not at the standard Bournemouth deserves and they are not environmentally friendly.

“We are not destroying an area of green space. This development is being built largely over a car park and depot. We are actually creating new gardens for Bournemouth – the first for 100 years.”

The scheme, called Nautilus, has public gardens on a roof that covers a 357-space car park, a nine screen cinema and a dozen restaurants.

Mr Osborne won a contract to develop the site back in 2007, when the proposals controversially included a casino.

Work was delayed by the recession and complex negotiations between the council and the Meyrick Estate, but is due to begin in the autumn.

The South East Dorset Greens have just launched a petition against the scheme and said they will be lobbying Bournemouth’s MPs.

Mr Osborne said: “This scheme has had so much publicity and this is the first time I have heard any of this their objections, long after all the decisions have been taken. They said they don’t want another Imax.

“I am the last person to want to see another Imax. I am very interested in the highest quality architecture and design.”