PROPERTY developer Richard Carr has revealed he will continue with his quest to buy Barclays House after it was revealed BCP Council is to pull out of all talks for the estate.
On Thursday, it was revealed by council leader Drew Mellor that BCP Council will not be extending their exclusivity period given to them by Barclays and nor will they be submitting a formal bid for the site.
This means that local property developer Richard Carr, chief executive of Fortitudo, is now free to place his hat back in the ring for the historic Poole building.
Mr Carr said: “We will be pursuing the opportunity again. It was a shame that we have wasted all this time, but at the end of the day it is what it is and we have to crack on.”
Fortitudo, the company owned by Richard Carr, put in a bid of £6.5 million to buy Barclays House but plans were halted after the council put in an “indicative” bid of £12 million.
Read more: BCP Council will NOT continue to buy Barclays House
In May, Mr Carr was given approval to demolish the building and promised to build in its place something “very, very iconic”.
Planning officials at the time of approval decided the site should be subject to an ecological survey, including bats and falcons, prior to any work on the site.
Mr Carr said he would bring housing to the site consisting of “substantial buildings and the apartments will have the most fantastic views.
“We plan to put a sky restaurant on top of the highest tower so the public will be able to enjoy it,” Mr Carr said back in May.
Read more: Barclay House: Richard Carr of Fortitudo has approval for demolition
BCP Council leader Drew Mellor, who stopped plans on the purchase of Barclays House in Wimborne Road, said: “We will not be extending the exclusivity period or submitting a formal bid for the site, which will allow other interested parties to continue dialogue with the owners about their bids and plans.”
He added: “We have found that both the building and car park require a level of refurbishment and/or rebuilding which would not fit in with our intended plans – especially with reference to the car park.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel