CONTROVERSIAL plans first submitted five years ago for the development of three Sandbanks hotels have been REJECTED.
Richard Carr of Fortitudo submitted plans on behalf of owners FJB Hotels in 2017 to replace the Sandbanks Hotel with a new 171-bedroom hotel, replace the Haven Hotel with three blocks of residential apartments and erect a 38-suite ‘aparthotel’ in place of the Harbour Heights Hotel.
BCP Council officials finally rejected the plans at a meeting at Bournemouth Town Hall on Wednesday, after they were recommended for refusal on flood risk grounds.
David Morley, chair of the Sandbanks Community Group, spearheaded a campaign against the plans, which were objected to around 6,000 times.
Read more: LIVE: Richard Carr's Sandbanks hotels plans finally put before committee after five years
Speaking at the meeting, he said: "The Haven site has been used as a hotel for almost two centuries. It's an irreplaceable and priceless community asset, once it's gone, it's lost forever.
"The applicants say this is the only way you get two shiny new hotels for Sandbanks.
"The choice is not between two new hotels or none. We can't accept this because the applicant says so.
"What they are asking you to conclude is the loss of the Haven is a price worth paying for the development of two neglected hotels in the same ownership.
"A planning applicant should never be advantaged for their own failure to invest. It's not your job to bail out FJB."
Robert Webb, chair of the Sandbanks Neighbourhood Forum, added: "You cannot mitigate the loss of an iconic building.
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"Following this advice, you'd be able to replace Buckingham Palace with a row of terraced houses.
"If it must go, three ordinary blocks of flats are not appropriate."
Fortitudo boss Richard Carr told the committee: "There is rumour that this (Haven) is a beautiful building, once upon it time it was.
"This site is no longer suitable for a hotel, the objectors, David Morley, said to the Daily Echo Sandbanks residents felt trapped in their own homes because of traffic.
"The manager is unable to take bookings for weddings because of the uncertainty of people being able to get there in time.
"The development is a flooding betterment as the building will be raised, it will be 3.8m to the ground, the current building is 1.2m. There clearly would be an enhanced position.
"We have spent over £75,000 in reports to the Environment Agency answering questions on every occasion, they have moved the goalposts making our position untenable."
The debate between councillors largely focused on the positive attributes of the scheme. However the sticking point for many councillors was the concerns over flooding.
Summing up ahead of the vote, planning committee chairman, Cllr David Kelsey, said: "To me the Haven has no merit whatsoever any more.
"If a hotel was to go there it would become exclusive. This is not what we're about.
"The two previous hotels again are both in desperate need of replacement.
"However, we do have the EA (Environment Agency) assessment and that is my only concern.
"I think the applicant has got the impression we are in favour of the design but we need the EA agreement as without it we are scuppered.
"It is only and solely for that I will have to support the move to refuse it."
The decision to refuse the plans was unanimous.
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