Plans to build new houses and apartments at the old Royal High Junior School in Lansdown have been given the go ahead by Bath and North East Somerset councillors.

Councillors voted by a large majority in favour of the development which they say will make a big improvement to the area on the expensive northern slopes, not far from the world famous Royal Crescent.

The development of 54 houses and apartments, known locally as the Hope House development, will be a mixture of luxury two and three storey houses, apartments, car parking and green space.

The outside of the grade two listed school building Hope House, which gives the development its name, will look the same,  but the inside will be turned into six luxury apartments.

The scheme will impact on houses in some streets in the expensive Lansdown area, and views over Victoria Park and the Approach Golf Course will be affected.

Many people buy properties in this elevated BA1 area for the views across Bath, and any changes can be very contentious.

The buildings will be spread over six blocks, including Hope House, but some residents fear the blocks, especially the three story ones, will spoil their view and overlook their homes and gardens.

Most affected is Saint James’s Park, and residents turned out in force to the meeting to protest about the impact it will have on their privacy, noise from passing cars and their views actross the city.

Resident Mark Stricklin said: “We will have dozens of windows looking down on us with car headlights beaming into our bedrooms, but the biggest problem with all of this is the lack of consultation with local residents from the beginning.”

Kate Hall said her mother, who is 82 and has lived there for many years, will have no privacy and will not be happy at all.

A grandmother who lives on the road said she would not let her two-year-old grandson play in her garden as people from the three storey houses and apartments will be able to look straight in.

“He wont’t be able to run around the garden naked or play in his paddling pool like he does now,” she said.

Robin Clarke from the prestigious Lansdown Crescent Association spoke in favour of the plans,  and most councillors agreed at the meeting it is a tasteful development which offers much needed housing in the city.

Chairman of the development control committee Gerry Curran told the packed meeting plans for the site had received a lot of attention already, and a decision should be made.

He said: “There has been a lot of discussion, councillors have visited the site, we have examined everything in detail.

“Yes we know there will be impact on some houses, and yes some trees have preservation orders, but we have examined all the issues and it is time now to go ahead and make a decision.”

One controversial issue was the need by developers to fell some very old healthy trees, which would cushion the Saint James’s Park residents from noise and from being overlooked by the new houses and apartments.

But developers have agreed to plant more than 80 new trees around the site, and planners are satisfied the whole area will be tasteful with lots of green space.

The plan was initially turned down by the council, because four houses to be built on the old Royal High School tennis courts, at the back of Park Street and Saint James’s Park, did not meet council requirements.

That will not happen now, the four houses have been removed from the plans, and members of the development control committee voted by a majority of 10 to two to grant permission for the whole scheme.

Secretary of Saint James’s Park residents association Laurie Coombs said after the meeting they would continue the fight against the development.

He said: “We have already filed a formal complaint to the ombudsman and we may consider a tribunal.”

Resident Kate Hall said the whole thing was ‘appalling’ and the council had not listened to their objections.

Royal High junior school has already moved to a new site at Cranwell House in Weston.