HUGE plans which would see Bournemouth town centre transformed with a 24-storey multi-use development have been recommended for refusal.
Poole-based developer Fortitudo’s plans for a £200million residential and hotel tower in the area between Glen Fern Road and Fir Vale Road have been described as “significantly overinflated” by a BCP Council planning officer.
The plans, which were submitted in January last year and redesigned in September, also include a nightclub, boutique cinema, Flip Out adventure park, restaurants and sky bar.
“Planners told us they wanted a more contemporary design so we obliged”, said Fortitudo CEO Richard Carr shortly after.
Within months of submitting the application, Mr Carr said the scheme had attracted ‘huge’ occupier interest which had left him “quietly amazed”.
Existing buildings would be demolished to make way for the development – which would be called Boho Grand – to deliver 494 residential flats, a 104-bedroom hotel and a 450-space multi-storey car park.
However, the project has been dealt a blow after case officer Gareth Ball recommended the plans be refused ahead of being discussed by the council’s planning committee next week.
In his 66-page report, Mr Ball said: “The proposed building would be of an inappropriate scale and massing, which dominates street and vista views and fails to integrate within the urban context or be sympathetic to nearby buildings.
“This view is shared by Historic England as well as other internal consultees.
“The development would provide a significantly overinflated mix of one-bedroom residential units, an insufficient mix of two-bedroom units and no three (or greater) bedroom units.”
Two public consultation periods were undertaken on the plans. At the date of the report being published, 25 responses were received comprising four objections and 21 supporting comments.
Concerns raised within the objections included a perceived “homogenisation” of Bournemouth and increased noise and disturbance. Supporting comments, meanwhile, centred on the regeneration of the town centre, new housing and the building design.
The plans will be discussed and voted on at BCP Council’s planning committee meeting on Thursday, January 19, at 9.30am.
If approved, it is hoped the project could be completed by 2027.
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