Salterns Hotel demolition begins ahead of £150million scheme

Diggers have been on site at the Salterns Harbourside Hotel over the past few days as the building makes way as part of the scheme being carried out by Poole-based firm Fortitudo.

Demolition of the hotel building started last week and will be completed by the end of the month.

Road widening of Salterns Way is almost complete and a pop-up bar facility is set to be in place at the marina for the summer months.

This time next year, work will begin on the new 75-bed boutique spa hotel and a separate block of 65 residential apartments.

• Read more: Why developer says Salterns Marina scheme will benefit Poole

CGI of the planned hotel at Salterns Marina. Picture: Fortitudo Property

Fortitudo chief executive Richard Carr said he hopes the entire development will be completed by 2023.

He told the Daily Echo: “It is going to transform the Lilliput area.

“The hotel will have a spa and a swimming pool which will be well frequented, I would have thought, by the local population.

“There will be new restaurants and bars. It is going to provide much better and much more modern amenities for the local population and, obviously, for the people who stay in the hotel. On top of that, there will be the development of the apartment block. They will be luxury apartments, with restaurants on the ground floor of that building as well.

“Generally, ever since the demise of the Beehive public house 15 or 20 years ago now, Lilliput really has never had a community hub effectively.

“I think the new Salterns facilities will be of great value and widely used by the local population.”

Demolition work on site at Salterns Marina yesterday

Borough of Poole’s planning committee approved the plans, which were revised from a previous proposal containing a smaller hotel and more residential units, in 2017.

Mr Carr said the gross development value of the apartments will be around £128million and the scheme in its entirety will be valued at more than £150million.

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The Salterns Harbourside Hotel

He added: “One of the great things about the apartments is that they are unequalled.

"There is nothing else in the whole of Sandbanks or Poole that will be like these apartments because they are on the end of the pier, so the apartments will have 270-degree views of the sea, which is unheard of.

“Even the north facing apartments will have views of the sea because you have to drive right to the end of the marina to get to them.

• Read more: How Covid has hit the luxury property market at Sandbanks

CGI of the plans for Salterns Marina with the apartment block, left, and hotel on the right. Picture: Fortitudo Property

“It is a unique development and it is a very, very exciting scheme.

“It is quite fantastic architecture.”