Southbourne car park flats plan handed approval recommendation

Applicant Vivir Estates Ltd wants to build four housing blocks on the site of Southbourne Crossroads car park in Southbourne Overcliff Drive.

Since details of the plans first surfaced, a resident campaign has grown in an attempt to stop the proposals from progressing.

Members of BCP Council’s planning committee have been recommended to approve the scheme by local authority’s planning department.

Officer Julie Allington’s report to the committee said: “Overall, it is considered that the benefits of the scheme in terms of bringing a currently under-utilised brownfield site into use and providing much needed housing would outweigh the harm identified, and therefore the application is recommended for approval.”

CGI of the flats plan

A long lease has already been agreed with the developer after the former Bournemouth Borough Council decided to dispose of the site back in 2017 as it was deemed “underutilised and surplus to requirements”.

• Read more: Plan tabled for four blocks of flats on Southbourne car park

As well as building on the car park, the development would also include land currently serving as a community garden.

A total of 27 flats would be delivered through the scheme, with 29 parking spaces on ground level underneath the buildings. The housing would be three one-bed and 24 two-bed flats.

The site has operated as a car park since the 1960s, with it currently providing 78 parking spaces.

The community garden next to the car park

Ms Allington’s report says thee concerns from residents mostly related to the loss of parking, and subsequent impact on local businesses, the loss of the community garden, the impact on the flats within the two terraces of properties to the north and facing the site and the design and scale of the development.

The developer has agreed to pay a £70,000 contribution to off-site affordable housing, £20,000 for a replacement bus shelter in Belle Vue Road, provide a zebra crossing and pay towards heathland mitigation and for loss of habitat.

• Read more: Residents outraged by plans to build on garden and car park

Joanna Crutcher, one of the residents leading the opposition to the plan, told the Daily Echo: “What is the point of asking for people’s opinions if they are just going to be ignored.

“A lot of people have said all we care about is the loss of our views but there is so much more to this.

“Where are people going to park? We know it isn’t a car park that is busy all year round but it was designed as an overflow car park. It is always busy during the summer months.”

• Read more: Legal action warning over Southbourne car park flats plan

The existing car park

• Read more: Bid to place site on heritage list to protect car park

She said there is no mention in the report of how the loss of the car park is going to be replaced and the flats will lead to reduced sunlight for nearby residents, affecting their quality of life.

“It is going to make life hell for everyone,” said Ms Crutcher. “It is going to be chaos.

“There is going to be illegal parking or people are just not going to come back to the area. We think it is really short sighted.

“The concerns are wider than just the people who live nearby. It is for the whole of the Southbourne community and people who visit.”

• Read more: Petition against redeveloping one of Southbourne's car parks

The agenda for the planning committee meeting on Thursday, March 17, says chair Cllr David Kelsey has agreed to exercise his discretion to allow five public speakers for a total of 15 minutes on the proposal. Normally only two speakers are allowed for a total of five minutes.