A FORMER day centre in Bournemouth could be sold off by BCP Council after cabinet members agreed to the sale. 

The Westbourne Plus day centre in Alumhurst Road closed during the Covid pandemic when all day services were ordered to stay shut. 

It was formally decided it would not reopen in March 2024, with its services for people with mental health problems being relocated to Boscombe Connect, run by Tricuro for the council. 

That same month, BCP Council’s Three Towns Alliance cabinet deemed the building surplus as part of its adult day opportunities strategy. 

Deputy council leader and cabinet member for finance Mike Cox said: “The proposal is to sell the site to the highest bidder. 

“[This is] the recommendation of the cross-party strategic asset disposal working group and has also been endorsed by the two ward councillors. 

“However, we are going through the process in the council to check that any other department wants to look at the site, see if it can be used for other purposes. 

“But we are leaving our options open.” 

It’s unclear how much BCP Council expects to sell the building for. 

A report by Adam Richens, director of finance, and Miles Phillips, head of estates, said selling the site is the “quickest route to the delivery of a capital receipt” and the best option to avoid holding costs and ownership risks. 

They said: “A sale subject to planning is likely to generate a higher receipt value but the risk of the planning process sits with the council.  

“Our experience with some long-standing sales, such as the Southbourne Crossroad and Cambridge Road sites demonstrate the complexities of a sale subject to planning. 

“This route would also delay the capital receipt as, unless and until an acceptable planning permission is obtained, the buyer does not pay the balance of the purchase price.” 

BCP Council has been selling much of its assets lately as it seeks to balance the books and become financially stable. 

More recently, the sale of Beach Road car park in Canford Cliffs was finally agreed to after a 10-year process to get it over the line. 

And Poole civic centre’s sale still isn’t ruled out after a review found that it is costing taxpayers £19k a month to keep.