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9:13am Saturday 1st September 2007
Comments (25)
BOURNEMOUTH council looks set to press on with plans for a new casino in town, dashing hopes the contract could be torn up.
Conservative councillors began a review of the Pavilion Theatre plans immediately on taking office in May and insisted they were not ruling out the possibility of severing the contract altogether.
But following months of negotiations with the Trevor Osborne Property Group, the cabinet is now expected to go ahead with the scheme.
Cllr Bob Chapman, cabinet member with responsibility for major projects, said: "The council is committed to the scheme. It would be very costly to withdraw from it.
"My main concern and the administration's main concern is to make sure the Pavilion is restored to its original glory and brought back to life as soon as possible."
The deal with the Trevor Osborne Property Group attracted fierce criticism after it emerged the contract was signed on the day of the local election.
But an official investigation revealed no wrong-doing by officers or councillors and pointed out the council had been committed to the scheme for three-and-a-half years.
A report to next Wednesday's cabinet meeting recommends going ahead with the scheme, following assurances over the proposed design and content.
In a change to the plans made by the previous Liberal Democrat administration, the virtual reality family attraction planned for the lower levels of the Pavilion could be replaced by a small-scale performance space.
But this all depends on whether the council can persuade the arts organisations expecting to move into a new Winter Gardens to accept a switch to the Pavilion instead.
Cllr Chapman said: "Personally, I am quite optimistic that we could get there with a sustainable arts facility. There's an awful lot of space on that floor which has got to be used."
The council has also received assurances that the new restaurants included in the scheme will be high quality and there will be no bars, takeaways or nightclubs.
Cllr Claire Smith, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: "As the Conservatives clearly supported the scheme when it went through full council, they have obviously come to their senses and decided it is a good scheme after all. It's a massive win for Bournemouth.
Your Say YourBournemouth Echo
luckytomm, BH9 2JU says...
11:35am Sat 1 Sep 07
beachhut, southbourne says...
12:00pm Sat 1 Sep 07
the listener, bournemouth says...
12:50pm Sat 1 Sep 07
COUNCILLORS ARE LIKE WELL KEPT MUSHROOMS IF YOU NO THE JOKE!!
alumchineboy, Alumchine says...
2:08pm Sat 1 Sep 07
alumchineboy, Alumchine says...
2:08pm Sat 1 Sep 07
PETE WOODLEY, says...
2:11pm Sat 1 Sep 07
John, Poole says...
3:23pm Sat 1 Sep 07
Hotdog, Poole says...
4:32pm Sat 1 Sep 07
...still, it's not as if we did not know that already.
John, Poole says...
8:15pm Sat 1 Sep 07
In a change to the plans made by the previous Liberal Democrat administration, the virtual reality family attraction planned for the lower levels of the Pavilion could be replaced by a small-scale performance space.
Please see my comment a couple of days ago under the item Skate Expectations inferring that the Casino would get an early green light.I wouldn't bet against the small-scale performance space becoming a lap dance floor!!No more bets !
Nite_Owl, Ferndown says...
9:36pm Sat 1 Sep 07
Nite_Owl, Ferndown says...
9:37pm Sat 1 Sep 07
Last time it was the Winter Gardens this time its a casino, which if by the correspondence I have read in the Daily Echo, this forum and the people I have met, nobody wants.
I am sure as it was signed on the day of the election a legal challenge could of taken place. But it would probably get a rubber stamp just like the Brighton football stadium Falmer, which was overturned by the Labour government twice.
So tell me what is the point of voting for any of the main parties? They are all as corrupt as each other, they know this and they dont care.
Next time I am going to vote for the monkey.
Hotdog, Poole says...
9:28am Sun 2 Sep 07
Sadly the monkey won't be able raise enough funds or get enough airtime and newsprint to get his message across so the choice will be the usual spineless creeps.
Don't bother voting in local elections. They are a complete waste of time as this episode above proves.
PETE WOODLEY, says...
12:56pm Sun 2 Sep 07
Hotdog wrote:To nite owl and Hotdog you are both absolutely right.But if you dare to say anything, you get the sort of treatment that i have been getting online from the clique, and a few wasters who jump in not knowing what they are on about.At the age of 14 i was warned several times by very senior tory mp's that politics could be dirty,i was later told this from other mp's in my later years.Of course they were right.Thats why i trust the independents but as "hotdog" says money wins.
"Next time I am going to vote for the monkey"
Sadly the monkey won't be able raise enough funds or get enough airtime and newsprint to get his message across so the choice will be the usual spineless creeps.
Don't bother voting in local elections. They are a complete waste of time as this episode above proves.
fedupwithjobsworths, Moordown says...
6:20pm Sun 2 Sep 07
Richard, Bournemouth says...
8:02pm Sun 2 Sep 07
The hypocritical comments from Fudge are typical. Let's hope that he's never in a council seat ever again. The Liberal administration has helped to turn the town into a giant lap dancing club catering for chav stag and hen parties. So much for a commitment to the arts! What type of arts?
Let's not forget, the Liberal electoral performance in Bournemouth was their worst in the UK, that does'nt happen without good reason.
PETE WOODLEY, says...
8:33pm Sun 2 Sep 07
Richard wrote:Correct,but what have the tories done about it ?,next to nothing.Too many business interests involved,When it comes to money,the Tories and Libs are just as bad as each other,and so would Labour be if they had any chance.Being a councillor is a job now,with fairly good rewards,wanting to do your best for your home town does not come into it.
I agree with fedupwithjobsworths. The incoming Tory administration were lumbered with a legally binding contract signed on election day. What has never become clear is why have'nt council offcers been held to account for this? An utter disgrace.
The hypocritical comments from Fudge are typical. Let's hope that he's never in a council seat ever again. The Liberal administration has helped to turn the town into a giant lap dancing club catering for chav stag and hen parties. So much for a commitment to the arts! What type of arts?
Let's not forget, the Liberal electoral performance in Bournemouth was their worst in the UK, that does'nt happen without good reason.
Ernestine, Bermagui says...
12:49am Mon 3 Sep 07
Youll need this: http://www.gamblersa
nonymous.org.uk/
Ed, Bournemouth says...
8:22am Mon 3 Sep 07
But an official investigation revealed no wrong-doing by officers or councillors and pointed out the council had been committed to the scheme for three-and-a-half years.
So after all the comments made in the press and in fact still being made on Tobias Elwoods website, no wrongdoing was found. Not only that the current administration decide to go ahead with it. Just as they have gone ahead with selling of car parks for development. So all these vague elections promises amount to nothing.... again !!
adrian fudge, boscombe east says...
9:04am Mon 3 Sep 07
Richard wrote:If quoting the truth is hypocritical so beit
I agree with fedupwithjobsworths. The incoming Tory administration were lumbered with a legally binding contract signed on election day. What has never become clear is why have'nt council offcers been held to account for this? An utter disgrace. The hypocritical comments from Fudge are typical. Let's hope that he's never in a council seat ever again. The Liberal administration has helped to turn the town into a giant lap dancing club catering for chav stag and hen parties. So much for a commitment to the arts! What type of arts? Let's not forget, the Liberal electoral performance in Bournemouth was their worst in the UK, that does'nt happen without good reason.
what you want to continually ignore is that the Tories never oppossed the Casino, the deal was approved after 3 years of negotiation by the Council at the begining of April and was signed by the officers as is the norm
In relation to the Winter Gardens the Lib Dems had a fully worked up scheme to provide an Arts and cultural facility in conjunction with various partners but this has been thrown out by the Tories whose have compounded the problem with the future of the site by sayig it has to incorporate an additional 72 car parking spaces that should have been in the Priory Road scheme but yhey removed that requirement
if you read the report on the pavilion scheme you will also see that they are investigating increasing the number of parking spaces on the Pavilion site which is strange since they were arguing that the road system would struggle withg the number already approved
Presuably we are now going to get a "Super Casino" since that is what they lead people to believe was what the scheme entailed ,or are we only having a traditional casino occuping under 10% of the scheme which is what was approved
Perhaps the election results were influenced by what the Electorate were told and chose to believe rather than the reality which is now gradually comming out
chrishann, bournemouth says...
9:32am Mon 3 Sep 07
fedupwithjobsworths, Moordown says...
11:32am Mon 3 Sep 07
The-bleeding-obvious, Bournemouth says...
12:01pm Mon 3 Sep 07
fedupwithjobsworths wrote:Fedup. is dead right this is going to be another disaster for local people in Bournemouths ever growing spiv economy. Its time we had some educated logical thinking councillors-engineer
One thing, which is becoming increasingly apparent, is that Bournemouth Councillors and their un-elected Council Officers no longer represent the views and wishes of the people of this town. The Casino is just the latest example in a long line of Council fiascos BIC Swimming Pool, Wintergardens / BSO, Stones on the beach, 300 foot long land train shed, IMAX, Ice Rink debate etc. Lets not also forget the Boscombe Seafront regeneration Honeycombe Chine over-development passed but forgot about the planning permission for the Surfing Reef.
s, scientists etc. property developers, estate agents and the like are our latter day buchers, bakers and candle stick makers and should be excluded from local government office.
Richard, Bournemouth says...
12:25pm Mon 3 Sep 07
To borrow a famous phrase: 'You would say that, would'nt you?'
Nobody can convince me that the decision by council officers to execute that contract late on election day was anything but political .
I would'nt argue that the Tories made political capital out of it, but that makes them a bit sharper than you does'nt it? I live in a ward that had 3 Liberal councillors, not once during the election campaign did any of them canvass me for my vote. Given the likely problems of retaining seats, should'nt your people have been more active? We now have 3 Tory councillors only one of which I would consider particularly competent based on what I've seen so far.
Banana Man, Bournemouth says...
4:13pm Mon 3 Sep 07
In this section
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- Grogan and Calderwood guilty of plotting terrifying armed robbery on Academy Snooker Club
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- Much-maligned Purbeck online cookware store 'overwhelmed' by orders
- School alert as pair have swine flu virus
- Dorset traffic light speed camera list is fake
- Deal at Christchurch Woolies 'imminent'
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adrian fudge, boscombe east says...
10:19am Sat 1 Sep 07
I wonder whether this was the "vision" that they sold to the electorate 4 months ago