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£50m Bournemouth town centre plans get thumbs up

8:10am Saturday 12th September 2009 in


A £50 million scheme to build a hotel and two apartment blocks around a multi-storey car park has cleared its first hurdle.

The plans to surround the existing Richmond Gardens car park in Bournemouth with a 173-bedroom hotel, offices and 120 apartments were given the thumbs up by cabinet members.

The scheme still has to go before planners but needed the approval of cabinet because the council is the leaseholder of the rundown car park.

If the proposals do go on to get planning permission, develop-ers Grosvenor will invest £1.3 million in improving the surrounding area.

The council will also benefit from a share of the profits of the residential and hotel development, which will be reinvested back into the car park.

The Richmond Gardens car park is at the top of Richmond Hill, just off the Wessex Way.

The proposed hotel would be clad in copper and the apartment blocks would be built in an Art Deco style.

An additional 79-space car parking deck is also proposed, while the pedestrian area around Dalkeith Steps will be re-landscaped, and a tree planting and management plan put in place.

Cabinet member Cllr Bob Chapman said: “This innovative partnership approach will help to kick-start the town centre vision.

“While the amount of money available to the council for reinvestment will be dependent upon the financial success of this development, it has the potential to provide around 70 additional spaces in a brighter, refurbished Richmond Gardens car park through a profit sharing arrangement that will be at no direct cost to the council tax payer.”

Comments(10)

BIGTONE says...
8:15am Sat 12 Sep 09

"that will be at no direct cost to the council tax payer.”

They are flogging this statement to death.

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Xchurch-man says...
11:35am Sat 12 Sep 09

" The scheme still has to go before planners but needed the approval of cabinet because the council is the leaseholder of the rundown car park. "

Therefore: The council are RESPONSIBLE for the run down condition of the car park???


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rainbowkisses says...
11:37am Sat 12 Sep 09

that will be at no direct cost to the council tax payer.”...........
.. I seem to have heard this before from the Council. Like the "free" Air Show that looks like it cost us tax payers around £110,000

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KLH says...
2:47pm Sat 12 Sep 09

It would be great to landscape around Dalkieth Steps - that area along the back of those flats is disgusting with mouldering rubbish everywhere!!

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Mediclogan5 says...
10:00pm Sat 12 Sep 09

Kick start the town centre vision? Ummm isn't that what was bounded about with the Giant Casino plan next to the Pavilion? Oh and lets not forget the IMAX as well..and wasn't there a promise of an Indoor swimming pool to see the new generation of Family entertainment when the Swimming Baths were demolished to make way for the BIC...Kick-start? Another council backhander dream more like.

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rook says...
10:18pm Sat 12 Sep 09

I'm all for improvement, but a copper hotel? It will be a messy green within a couple of years. As for 173 beds at the pre-planning stage .... sounds like some pretty final plans have already been given the go ahead otherwise it would be much less specific.

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KLH says...
9:18am Sun 13 Sep 09

The whole area needs updating anyway...... I've said it before, the Dalkeith Centre needs sorting out. Peacocks only sell a limited range, and apart from Lidl and Wilkos, nowt there - apart from that expensive Italian place - and you can hear the guys in there shouting from outside!! Several units are empty, and the escalator is often out of order. I personally just go to Wilkos, but prefer to go to Boscombe for Peacocks as the range is bigger, used to go to the Italian place, but found it expensive and a couple of times they have been cheeky towards me for no reason, so I stopped going there. Wilkos and Lidl are the only things worthwhile in that place.... Sorry to have a go, but I think that entire area has gone downhill, and needs seriously upgrading.

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Laurie H Marsh says...
12:01pm Sun 13 Sep 09

ART DECO?
That is great!
Build an apartment block in 2009 in the 1920s style!
Why not build it with wattle and daub?
Or dig a cave?

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Maggie69 says...
3:32pm Sun 13 Sep 09

Aren't there hotels closing down all over town because noone wants to come to Bournemouth anymore other than stag & hen groups? Surely they need to make the town attractive to visitors again before building another hotel?

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Azphreal says...
4:02pm Wed 16 Sep 09

With so many hotels closing down and office space to rent why are they doing this? How about making something to make families come back to bournemouth and not just stag and hen parties!

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