Planners have refused a proposal to build an apartment development close to the Royal Ulster Yacht Club in Bangor.

The Alliance party's Abbey local representative, Michael Bower, has warmly welcomed the news.

Yesterday, the Co Down politician enthusiastically welcomed the Planning Appeals Commission's (PAC) decision to uphold the decision to refuse the building of apartments at the Eastroyd and Westroyd site on Clifton Road in Bangor.

The decision is bad news for the developer, Fraser Homes, as the firm had hoped to build 54 apartments at a site on Clifton Road.

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They are being stymied by the PAC, who said the three apartment blocks would have caused "unacceptable damage to the residential character of the area".

A PAC statement said it would also have had an "over dominant" impact on neighbouring homes.

Michael Bower commented: "This proposal was totally out of character with the Clifton Road area and would have resulted in an unacceptable impact on neighbouring houses.

"This type of development would not have been supported by people in the area and I am delighted that the Planning Appeals Commission has rejected the proposed development on this scale.

"This underlines how important it is for developers to work with communities to ensure that plans for developments are sympathetic to an area and have local support," he said.

(BMcC/GK)