Richard Carr: The man behind Sandbanks hotels and Salterns Marina

Mr Carr’s company, Fortitudo, is spearheading the development of Salterns Marina, Glen Fern Road and the controversial plans for the three Sandbanks hotels.

Work has already begun on the £150million development of a hotel and apartment block at Salterns Marina.

And plans for the development of the three Sandbanks hotels, and to create a new nightclub, bowling facility and hotel in Glen Fern Road could soon go to committee.

Developer Mr Carr sat down with the Daily Echo for a candid interview on how he built the company and why he does what he does.

ON FORTITUDO

“When the lockdown happened in March 2020, I took a decision to grow the business, a lot of developers were standing back.

“We managed to do deals that we probably wouldn’t have been able to do in a normal marketplace which leapfrogged the business forward quite substantially.

“We have got sites now as far west as Bath, as far east as Hove and obviously quite a lot going here.

“We’re building 64 flats on Poole Quay, we’re doing 14 homes in Chewton Farm Road and we have got six of seven sites starting in the next three months, building some industrial units in Yeovil, so we have a lot on.

“Fortitudo has gained I think a good reputation locally very quickly and we are going to keep pushing on.

“I have been pushing water uphill my whole life, I have always liked creating things. I enjoy the creating of new things.

“Everything that Fortitudo does has to be something that we are proud of us a brand, I need to be proud of the things we do.”

GLEN FERN ROAD

“I’m very patriotic about this area, I was born here, I love this area but I think it could be so much better.

“I think, when you look at the night economy scene, it’s poor. In my era, people had huge amounts of choice.

“Thousands and thousands and thousands of people used to come to Bournemouth to go out because there was such a wide array of nightlife and that’s slowly diminished.

“Not just because Richard Carr isn’t doing anything, the whole night life business model has changed dramatically, with the advent of swipe right on your phone and dating sites, that had diminished the need for people to go out.

“But there is a market for new things to come back, hence why we’re doing the Glen Fern Road development.

“That will be a fantastic shot in the arm for Bournemouth and for young people wanting to go out.

“That building, South Western House and the car park, I think was once regarded as the second most ugly building in the UK."

READ MORE: Glen Fern Road plans

SALTERNS MARINA AND SANDBANKS HOTELS

“I have the ability to see what I want to do. I think when we set about the Salterns development which was quite a while ago, the shareholders and all the trustees of Salterns Marina came to me and said would I take on doing the planning there and we came up with something that I think was very special and would like to think that this time next year it will be getting built.

“The hotel’s been demolished, the road’s been widened, planning is now extant so it means it lasts in perpetuity and it will be great for the area.

“It will increase the property prices of Lilliput, it will be great for women who want to go to a spa, it will be great that there’ll be new restaurants and bars there for the locals and of course it will be great for the local economy.

“Once I got that planning permission, the shareholders of the FJB Group came to me and we had a four-and-a-half-year journey on that (Sandbanks hotels) and we are almost there, it will probably go to planning in January or February next year.

“There’s two little hurdles to cross and I would like to think we can bring that forward at a later stage.

“The interesting thing is, this area is a fantastic area to live. But if you were to take the beach away and the harbour away, it wouldn’t be a really nice area to live in because there isn’t an awful lot of things for people to do.

“There’s a couple of decent restaurants, there isn’t masses of choice. There is a lack of quality places for people to go.

“I have been saying that for a number of years, it’s something that I want to try and put right. I think that the quality of people’s lives is important to us as a business as well.

“When we’re selling flats and apartments and houses, the people that are going to buy them could be moving from another area, if the amenities aren’t great they might think twice about moving to the area.”

READ MORE: Salterns Marina plans

READ MORE: Sandbanks plans

BACKGROUND

Mr Carr said: “I have worked really hard to build this business, I have done incredible hours and have got a really good team here.

“We’ve gained this ground by hard work and perseverance and we have got some great business partners who have invested very substantial sums of money into the business and it’s been an enjoyable journey and there’s been tough work.

“I’m a great believer that you only get out of life what you put into it, I’ve had my ups and downs in life like I think we all have, I’ve always been a great believer in dusting yourself down and getting on with it again.

“I try put that philosophy in everyone who works for me, I want them to be happy here.”

BANKRUPTCY AND REBUILDING

“I have spent my life being criticised, I am not one for withering at it.

“Yes, I did fall foul of the 2008 crash and I did have to go bankrupt. It was an awful experience for me, I lost absolutely everything.

“I am used to the criticism but I think there’s an awful lot of green-eyed monsters in this country, at least I am out there trying to do something and trying to improve people’s lives and trying to generate wealth for people.

“I’m very keen to get back to where I was, if not further on from there.

“It was not a particularly nice time of my life, there were other consequences that followed. 

“I am quite happy for people to criticise me if they wish, if people want to make untruths, that’s up to them.”

MOVING FORWARD

“We are carrying on expanding. We are looking at a lot bigger schemes. Generally, it’s business as usual.

“I have got 15, 20 years left in me, I’m not going to retire. I have a one-and-a-half-year-old child, I have got to make sure he’s fine. I consider myself a young 62-year-old.

“I know I’m a Marmite character, I know I’m an odd character, I like working hard, if people don’t like that, that’s their problem not mine.”