Boscombe arcade given planning permission for food hall

Councillors have agreed to proposals to convert the historic Grade II listed building in Christchurch Road into mixed office and startup business space on the upper floors as well as a food hall. 

The original applicant that wanted to breathe new life into the building was BCP Council – but the authority will no longer be the one to do this. 

BCP Council spent around £300k of the government’s levelling up money on surveys of the building, legal fees, valuations and more. 

Boscombe resident Phil Stanley-Watts told councillors: “There seems to be a lack of understanding on the council’s part with the creation of the food hall which would be unworkable and pop-up eateries. 

“It’s for all the wrong reasons. This type of building, as everybody knows, should be for antiques businesses and hairdressers... 

“Do the council not know there’s a housing crisis? The option should be open and that building should be one of the options used in this restoration.” 

Ward councillor Patrick Canavan added the building is in a “state of disrepair” internally adding it has been “neglected over a very significant period”. 

Patrick Canavan said the building is in a state of disrepair (Image: NQ)

Inside the arcade (Image: Daily Echo)

He added: “That neglect and disrepair is partly due to lack of investment and partly due to the rather complicated arrangements about who owns it, who leases parts of it. 

“When the council decided not to proceed with the compulsory purchase of the royal arcade, it was a really significant lost opportunity to do something with it.” 

In February 2023, the council accepted £6.79m for the delivery of the project along with approved council borrowing of £3.39m.  

BCP Council estimates buying and renovating the building would cost £11.54m.   

However, it was reported last year the scheme's costs had soared by more than £7m after it was confirmed extensive structural and internal building works would be required. 

Cllr Michael Tarling added: “Having been involved in refurbishment of a lot of buildings this age, I'm aware that the longer you leave buildings to deteriorate the more expensive it gets and the more heritage you lose.” 

Councillors elected to give the opportunity for the food hall and office development to go ahead there, on the condition it is started within three years. 

Should another developer come along and want to do something else, it would have to submit a new planning application.