Bournemouth car park to close for good so new flats can be built

BCP Council has written to people with permits to use Durley Road Car Park saying that it will be closed from November 6.

From that date the car park will be handed over to the part council-owned Bournemouth Development Company for it to pursue its plans to build a six-storey block of flats.

Concerns have previously been raised about the controversial scheme with it having been opposed by hoteliers, parents at the nearby St Michael’s Primary School and Hahnemann House patients.

These were echoed by the council’s planning committee in 2018 when it refused to approve the scheme, despite the council owning 50 per cent of the developer that put it forward.

However, the decision was challenged by Bournemouth Development Company before it was overturned by a government inspector last year.

The move to appeal the decision itself also attracted opposition from councillors who felt the council-owned developer should respect their wishes.

But it instead welcomed the inspector’s decision and has since pursued the scheme for a block of 44 flats on the car park site.

Ahead of work starting, BCP Council has now written to the car park permit holders to say it will be closed permanently from November 6.

“BCP Council will close Durley Road Car Park in mid-November and hand over the site to the Bournemouth Development Company (BDC) for the planned development works to commence,” cabinet member for regeneration, councillor Mark Howell, said. “BDC is required to comply with the obligations outlined in the planning consent.

“The Council has commenced some of the mitigation works [agreed as part of the planning application] including the relocation of car park permit holders. All current seasonal ticket and permit holder have been offered alternative locations.”

Bournemouth Development Company has yet to confirm any details of when work would start on the site but a spokesman said these would be announced “in the coming weeks”.