THE Exeter Road site was the location for Bournemouth’s bus station until it was destroyed by fire in 1976.

It was put on the market by Hants and Dorset and there was an unsuccessful attempt to build a £10m shopping complex there.

In 1985, councillors agreed it could be used as a temporary car park.

There were further attempts to develop the site but the plans came to nothing.

The site was put back on the market in 1991 with a price tag of £1.5m.

The council considered buying it but rejected the idea, claiming it would not have the money to do anything with it.

NCP bought it in 1993 and it remained a car park.

Developers Licet won planning permission for a £50m West Central scheme in 2006 but the recession hit hard and the scheme failed to get off the ground.

In 2010, the council stated it wanted a bus station back on the site and said it will buy the site itself if necessary. It is not known how much money they have earmarked for this.