MULTI-MILLION-POUND plans to bulldoze a former town hall and replace it with 25 retirement flats have been approved – by just one vote.

Councillors went against the advice of planning officers and gave an award-winning developer permission to transform the site currently occupied by disused public offices in Christchurch Road, Ringwood.

The £4m scheme was described as “too large, too high and too wide” at a meeting of the district council’s planning and development control committee.

Ringwood town councillor Mark Steele accused the applicant, Churchill Retirement Living, of trying to squeeze a quart into a pint pot.

He added: “The building is far too forward on the plot and is out of character with its surroundings. There’s insufficient parking and the access is on a bend.”

District councillor Jeremy Heron, who also represents Ringwood, said: “This is a very solid block in a rural market town. The building will be there for a very long time and we want the best.”

Council officers also urged the committee to reject the application, claiming the proposed development was too big.

A report to members said: “The key aspects of what makes Christchurch Road distinctive are not recognised – the building is too large, too high, too wide and too deep.”

The site, part of a conservation area, is sandwiched between Christchurch Road and Woodstock Lane.

The report said the rear of the building was “inappropriately institutional” and added: “Such uninspiring design suggests a poor relationship with Woodstock Lane.”

It also attacked what it described as the “inadequate” amenity space included in the scheme and the “poor outlook” from the flats.

“The proposed development would create an unattractive living environment for the residents,” said the report.

But representatives from the applicant said the design was “far better” than previous plans for the site and would retain more trees.

The scheme was eventually approved by ten votes to nine.

After the meeting Andrew Burgess, planning director at Churchill Retirement Living, said: “The development will be a £4m investment in Ringwood, which will regenerate the local area and relate sensitively to the conservation area.

“We hope to start construction work early next year, with the first occupants expected in 2016.”

Churchill was voted Most Outstanding Retirement Housing Operator in the UK for the fifth consecutive year in 2013 and Best Medium Housebuilder in 2012.