COUNCIL officials have refused permission for a car park on the former Punshon Memorial Church site in Bournemouth.

The site opposite the BIC was levelled in 2015, and played host to the 'Occupy' homeless sanctuary over the Christmas period, but since their eviction in January it has been in temporary use as a car park operated by Britannia Parking.

However, the borough has now decided to deny this usage, as planning officers say the proposed 30-space, 24-hour facility conflicts with its policies to restrict the number of public parking spaces in the borough, and to establish a 'Grand Garden Walk' including the Exeter Road area.

A report by planning officer Sophie Leon states that the scheme "is at odds with [policies] which seek to maintain the existing number of parking spaces, redistributed into fewer, higher quality car parks".

"The proposed site is in an area already well served by public car parks including BIC, Winter Gardens, Terrace Road, Eden Glen and BH2," the report states.

The borough plans, via its partnership with Morgan Sindall as the Bournemouth Development Company, to build on these car parks, replacing the spaces life-for-like in new multi-storey blocks. Critics claim this will be a net reduction of parking capacity since there will not be many residential spaces for the flats.

"The site is located on the Grand Garden Walk, a route identified in the Town Centre Area Action Plan for walking, cycling and public realm improvements," Ms Leon states.

"I am concerned that the vehicular movements introduced on the Grand Garden Walk will result in reduced convenience and safety as well as extra noise and pollution for those travelling by foot and bike.

"This is the main focus for the Grand Garden Walk."

In February last year developer The Mast (Bournemouth) Ltd was granted outline planning permission for a 96-bed block of flats on the site, with 15 parking spaces for residents.

However the owners said there were “continued issues of viability” and the car park scheme would provide a temporary use for the site “until markets improve”.

The report states that officials are concerned about any increase in the volume of traffic on nearby roads.

"The application is for a 30 space public car park. However, a highway officer observed 41 vehicles parked on the site on May 29," it says.

"A public car park with 30-40 spaces is anticipated to generate considerably more trips than the previously approved 15 residential car parking spaces.

"In addition, the extant consents included provision for widening the existing footway on Exeter Road and one way ingress and egress."

Finally officers said the applicant, Britannia Parking, had not provided evidence "to justify the need for additional town centre car parking".