AMBITIOUS plans to restore Westover Road as “the Bond Street of Bournemouth”, involving the creation of a piazza, high-class shopping mall and boulevard, have been outlined.
Developer Trevor Osborne, who is already poised to build an underground multiplex cinema, restaurants, gardens and amphitheatre next to the Pavilion Theatre, has offered to work with councillors to transform the other side of Westover Road too.
He said his deal with the Odeon and ABC, which would see both cinemas move across to the Pavilion Gardens development, would give him first option to acquire the vacant Westover Road sites and the old ice rink.
“That is so important if you are serious about the revival of Westover Road,” he said.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be seized.”
He outlined a scheme that would incorporate the Central car park behind Hinton Road, with a lift taking shoppers to a two-storey, designer shopping “galleria” on Westover Road.
Widening the pavements and restricting traffic could give Westover Road a boulevard feel, while a public piazza outside the Pavilion would add to the atmosphere.
“I’m up for it if you are,” he told cabinet members.
“We have a period of two years to plan this so we don’t have a period in which the vacancy of the cinemas becomes a visible and upsetting influence on Westover Road.”
He also presented cabinet with more details about his revised Pavilion Gardens scheme, which he has now confirmed will not include a casino.
The nine-screen cinema will cater for more than 2,000 people and will sit alongside 14 new restaurants or retail units.
There would also be space for a visitor attraction, tourist information centre, small bowling facility or art galleries.
He ruled out the possibility of having fast food restaurants or takeaways in the complex and instead said he hoped Jamie Oliver would open a business there.
There would be slightly fewer car parking spaces than originally proposed, and not all will be underground, but he insisted the “iconic” development would draw people to the town.
“It’s really important that we have a showstopper,” he said.
“We want to get the double wow, with people saying what a wonderful restoration of the theatre and next to it there’s a contemporary building that is so unusual, there’s not another in the country like it.
“The best leisure complex on the South Coast is still the aim of this project.”
Cllr John Beesley, deputy leader of the council, said that Mr Osborne’s ideas were very similar to their own plans for Westover Road.
“We are actively pursuing planning policy that will see mixed-use development, specifically seeking to build on the area’s reputation for niche shopping, retaining the historic facades of the buildings, creating high quality links between Westover Road and Hinton Road, and looking at creating new public open space and improved street design.
“The Area Action Plan also suggests increased cafe, restaurant and cultural uses.
“So the developer’s comments this week are very much along the lines that we are already proposing.”
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