THE decision to offer a public car park earmarked for flats to a private rental operator has been described as a “missed opportunity” by a Bournemouth councillor.

Cllr Donald McQueen made the claim during yesterday’s cabinet meeting in which members approved plans to allow Berry Court car park, St Peter’s Road, to be offloaded on a £1.2million long lease.

Bournemouth Development Company (BDC), a public-private partnership between the council and Morgan Sindall, had already secured planning permission to build 113 flats and a 217-space multi-storey car park on the site.

But now it will be a private rental company that benefits from any income generated by letting the apartments, not the council.

The decision was made despite the borough launching its own private property holding company late last year.

This prompted Cllr McQueen to ask cabinet members if they had changed their strategy.

“I do think it is a bit of a missed opportunity to build a private sector portfolio,” he said.

Council leader John Beesley said: “I don’t accept the premise that this was a missed opportunity.”

He added that the plan for each development will be judged on its own merits.

A report prepared by council officers estimated the council would have to fund a £2-3million shortfall in the project’s first three years if it paid for it all itself.

And transport portfolio holder Cllr Mike Greene, a former BDC board member, pointed to the increased income the council could receive from the new car park, which will be retained by the authority.

“It’s a somewhat unloved car park – it’s poor quality, it’s underused… and creates a surplus of just £26,000 a year,” Cllr Greene said.

“It was always going to be a private rented scheme. The council could be a provider, a housing association could be a provider, any other investor could be a provider – what matters to us and what matters in the Town Centre Vision is the outcome.

"And this will be, we firmly believe, a very good, high quality, private rented sector scheme which will bring the benefits of that to the area."

The sum generated will be ring-fenced to fund the council's future development plans in the town.