Developers have applied for Planning permission for a ten-storey residential block for expats.

Dennis Chin has submitted the proposal for the 30-condominium complex, which includes a restaurant on the ground floor.

The development would be located at 70 Serpentine Road, where it meets Dundonald Street and Park Road.

In a letter accompanying the application, agents Shy Architecture say: "Key to our arguments for relaxation of building height on this site will be to show the importance of aggressively promoting new residential living in the city."

The architects criticise the City of Hamilton Plan 2001 for not doing enough to encourage residential occupation of the city, even though it states: "One of the best ways to revitalise Hamilton is to encourage more people to live in the city."

The letter to the Planning Department says: "Incentives in the current Plan to revitalise the atrophied residential urban population has in our view, been unsuccessful.

"We strongly believe this is a deficiency in the Plan that must be corrected in order to ensure the current poor status of Hamilton as a residential city is challenged by vigorous planning initiatives.

"Therefore, we ask the Board to lend their support for the application — hopefully to set precedent facilitating revisions to the City of Hamilton Plan to provide real incentives for significant increases in residential projects for Hamilton."

Shy Architecture say the apartments are to be leased "to the transient mid-level overseas employee of the International Business sector".

Yesterday Stuart Hayward, Bermuda Environmental and Sustainability Taskforce chairman, said: "This sort of development could certainly help the environment in terms of transportation and commuting purposes.

"There is something to be said for putting high density housing in areas which are already densely developed."