Couple’s relief as council say they can sell their hotel for flats (From Bournemouth Echo)
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Couple’s relief as council say they can sell their hotel for flats
5:00pm Wednesday 20th February 2013 in News By Julie Magee
CHANGE: The Lea Hurst Hotel in Frances Road, Boscombe
CIVIC planners have given the green light for a Bournemouth hotel to be turned into flats, despite opposition from the town’s tourism boss.
The council’s head of tourism Mark Smith insisted that the Lea Hurst Hotel in Frances Road was profitable, with the right investment. He added: “We are absolutely convinced that this is a viable business.”
But ward councillor, chartered accountant Michael Filer, told planning board members that he disagreed, having studied the hotel’s trading figures for the past five years.
He added: “Last month’s bank statement shows that the owners put £3,000 into the hotel to keep their heads above water.”
Senior planning officer Simon Gould recommended that the conversion of the Boscombe hotel into three one-bedroom flats and six studio flats was rejected.
He added: “The main consideration is the change of use from tourist accommodation to residential accommodation in terms of land use.”
But Penny King, managing director of the applicants’ agent Planning Precision Limited, said: “The owners are elderly and relying on a naval pension to cover their outgoings.
“They don’t employ any staff and want to retire.
“The hotel was quiet, even during the air show.”
Cllr Roger West sympathised with the hotel owners.
He said: “I think it would be completely out of order for us to expect this man and his wife to make a business like this pay. The planning policy is wrong.”
Cllr Malcolm Davies shared his sentiments, adding: “I want to see Bournemouth thrive. How on earth could you sell a business with those figures?”
Chairman David Kelsey moved that approval should be granted, subjected to conditions, but added: “This does not give carte blanche to all hotel owners to come in with applications. We treat each case on its merits.”
The move was carried with only Cllr Beryl Baxter voting against.
Speaking after the meeting, the applicant Michael Waister said: “I’m delighted with the decision; it’s been a big worry and we just want to enjoy our retirement.”
Comments(15)
rayc
says...
6:25pm Wed 20 Feb 13
Has Mark smith any experience of running a profitable commercial enterprise?
muscliffman
says...
6:42pm Wed 20 Feb 13
What a surprise!
wonderway
says...
6:42pm Wed 20 Feb 13
yes he has he runs tourisum at a massive loss then he takes any profit from Boscombe Market to help cover losses up. Also he ensure that Boscombe Market has no advertising budget to ensure the market imporves visually or finacially, he makes a great director of tourisum a uasual council spend spend spend not my money
Phixer
says...
7:19pm Wed 20 Feb 13
Time to push Mr Smith's snout back where it belongs.
Lord Spring
says...
7:59pm Wed 20 Feb 13
Frances Road Boscombe !!!! does anybody know what they are talking about
Dibbles2
says...
10:07pm Wed 20 Feb 13
Lord Spring wrote:Frances Road is on Bournemouth not Boscombe. Those building are huge and would make enormous flats!
Senior planning officer Simon Gould recommended that the conversion of the Boscombe hotel into three one-bedroom flats and six studio flats was rejected.
Frances Road Boscombe !!!! does anybody know what they are talking about
BIGTONE
says...
10:33pm Wed 20 Feb 13
Luverly jubbely
chris100
says...
12:44am Thu 21 Feb 13
Bob49
says...
1:27am Thu 21 Feb 13
Bournemouth is canging and areas like that are no longer a viable tourist proposition. However dividing the place into that many units is not the way forward.
Redevelop it by all means by gear it towards a higher market not the buy to let, which will quickly degenerate into letting to those who are able to pay the highest rent - housing benefir claimants.
.
Baywolf
says...
8:33am Thu 21 Feb 13
BmthNewshound
says...
9:26am Thu 21 Feb 13
rozmister
says...
9:44am Thu 21 Feb 13
Lord Spring
says...
2:00pm Thu 21 Feb 13
Dibbles2 wrote:That makes two of us who know the geography of the town
Lord Spring wrote:Frances Road is on Bournemouth not Boscombe. Those building are huge and would make enormous flats!
Senior planning officer Simon Gould recommended that the conversion of the Boscombe hotel into three one-bedroom flats and six studio flats was rejected.
Frances Road Boscombe !!!! does anybody know what they are talking about
Linguist
says...
2:11pm Thu 21 Feb 13
rozmister wrote:Quite agree, but as this development is in Bournemouth and not Boscombe, you don't have to worry about it.
By all means convert it into flats but we don't need more one bed flats/studio flats in this area anymore. What we're lacking in the Boscombe area is decent sized, good quality family homes. A mixed development (studio, 1 bed, 2 bed and maybe a 3 bed) would be a much better idea. Apart from anything else blocks of studios and 1 beds in Boscombe seem to create problems because of the people they attract.
The Timelord says...
5:42pm Wed 20 Feb 13
A more thought out solution to help regeneration of this area would be to create fewer but larger flats to encourage those with money to invest in the area and to increase the wealth of the social demographic profile of the area.