A LANDMARK apartment tower and medical centre development in Southampton has been scaled down to beat the downturn.

Healthcare firm CareCapital has been forced to drop the value of the scheme by £1.5m to £15m and sacrifice a £2m basement car park. The number of flats has been reduced to 81 and 59 car parking spaces will be provided, around half of which will be on a garage site over the road. However the 14- storey, 44m tower will not be lowered.

CareCapital won consent for its revised plans for its City Gateway development, on a car park at the junction of Stoneham Way and Thomas Lewis Way in Swaythling. It will allow the Stoneham Lane Surgery to move to premises twice the size next to a new pharmacy and supermarket, set to be a Co-op.

CareCapital won planning permission in April for 119 apartments with 72 spaces in a basement car park and 25 spaces within a courtyard for the shops and surgery.

But the economic downturn forced the firm to have a rethink.

Development manager Shaun Adams told councillors: “We had to have a serious look at the overall development. It was a huge exercise in cost-cutting.”

Residents, however, say the development is still an “out-of scale-tower block”

and parking is “drastically inadequate”.

Swaythling ward councillor Edward Osmond thought the development would create an “impressive” entrance to Southampton but said the parking issue had not been resolved.

However, the council’s planning panel unanimously approved permission.

Chairman councillor Paul Holmes said the scheme had been greatly improved and the 77 per cent affordable housing was vital for city residents.

The planning panel added a condition that the council’s youth service would need to set up alternative youth provision in the area. The development, which will have 24-hour management and security, is expected to create around 40 jobs.

Cabinet member for economic development councillor Royston Smith said: “I’m just relieved it’s going ahead.”