The full letter Richard Carr has written to Boscombe councillors over Fortitudo's plans to buy the Portman Hotel in Ashley Road.

Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid was also included.

Councillors,

My company has agreed to buy this building from the current owners (Subject to Planning) to convert it into Low Cost Housing, I am led to understand that the planning officer is minded to refuse this application on the grounds that the ground floor apartments will have lack of privacy. Why is it then that you granted permission for ground Floor Apartments at The British Legion last June on the same Road and if you care to walk about there are many flats and houses that you walk past the front windows.

The planning officer has also suggested that there is a lack of amenity, this is just absurd Kings Park is almost opposite, there again are hundreds of dwellings in Boscombe further away than this without any amenity many of which have been approved in the last 12 months.

The sellers of this building have protected it from vandalism since owning it and only yesterday youths tried to set it on fire again, surely redevelopment of this historic building into much needed starter homes is better than it being boarded up and left to its fate in the hands of the anti-social brigade who have tried there best to burn it down over the past year.

Please can you as ward Councillors intervene in this before it is to late to save this Historic Building and to help create much needed starter homes which is after all Conservative policy, I have copied this communication to the HCA Minister to show him what we the development Community are up against. We need your support.

Best Regards

Richard Carr,

Chief Executive, Fortitudo