What could happen to the BIC and Winter Gardens sites

The idea is being considered by BCP Council, according to deputy leader Cllr Phil Broadhead, who described it as "the big switcheroo".

He told a Thursday overview committee (June 16) it appeared to make sense to move the BIC, which he described as “a box with no windows” to the Winter Gardens site and redevelop the cliff top site.

Independent councillor Steve Bartlett says the fact the option is being considered will come as news to many councillors – because most have not been told that.

“Cllr Broadhead has just confirmed we are going ahead with a major redevelopment of the BIC. It’s news to me. I don’t know where that has come from. I know it was being looked at but it sounds like you have made a decision somewhere. I wasn’t aware that we are going ahead with a major redevelopment of the BIC,” he said.

Cllr Bartlett said the reason why the Winter Gardens project has been stopped was because it is not viable, not because the council wanted to look at different options for the two sites.

“It’s not a viable scheme which is why Muse (the council development partner) has been obliged to post provision of £5million on their accounts and the council has been obliged to do so as well, as a 50 per cent partner,” said Cllr Bartlett, who went on to claim there were other issues which councillors were not being told, including how finances might be arranged.

Read more: Why you won't see any work happening at Bournemouth's Winter Gardens for a while

He said he had been told Homes England might be prepared to find £75million for Bournemouth town centre housing on the Winter Gardens site with the rest of the cost, he claimed to be £45m, coming from the council.

Cllr Bartlett said with rising building costs he understood there was now more difficulty in attracting private investment input for regeneration projects.

“I just want to know what the bottom line is. Is it that we’re looking at it because we want to redevelop the BIC or is it (the Winter Gardens) not a viable proposition at this time…

“You are talking about levelling up. Come on Cllr Broadhead, level up with the people of this town, who are now £5million out of pocket because this scheme has now been stopped,” said the independent councillor.

Deputy leader Phil Broadhead denied anyone was out of pocket and said the provision would be used either on the existing Winter Gardens project, or a wider one, possibly also involving the BIC site.

“No council taxpayer has lost that amount. We have been prudent and made provisions for that because, accountancy-wise, that’s what we should do, but we are going to develop this site,” he said.

He said the claim the Winter Gardens scheme was now unviable, was untrue.

Cllr Broadhead said over the years the thinking on the BIC’s future had changed and had previously been one of a phased re-development of the site, but the option now presented itself to look at “a larger opportunity” for both sites.

Read more: Is it Bournemouth's "last road of retail"? The plans to restore part of town to 'former glory'

“I have asked a number of people if the BIC should remain where it is, an empty box with no windows, on one of the prime positions in one of the best tourist resorts in Europe, maybe the world…almost to a person most people say it makes absolute sense to explore that possibility (of swapping the sites) and that’s what we are doing at this stage…

“It is a tough one. There is the momentum of getting on with the Winter Gardens at pace, but there is a potential wasted opportunity of what should be one of the best parts of Bournemouth being regenerated to the standard it deserves.

“What we are doing is taking the opportunity which presents itself,” he said.

Cllr Broadhead said the Winter Gardens, which is a difficult to develop site, could suit a new conference-concert centre and an adjoining hotel. He said this might be a financially more sound option than the existing, consented, housing and retail scheme.