Bournemouth borough council has decided to sell the heavily subsidised Winter Gardens concert hall site, probably for redevelopment.
Peter Challon, director of development services, said council officers will “now prepare a development brief for the site that members will go with. There is no point in marketing the site unless there is some certainty that a planning application is in line with members’ views.”
The 0.6ha (1.5 acres) site is expected to cost up to £9m, with a mixed scheme weighted towards residential the most likely replacement for the Winter Gardens. Bournemouth council will use funds from the sale to refurbish the Pavilion Theatre.
Last night’s decision surprised local agents who expected the council to vote in favour of retaining the Winter Gardens by backing the leasing option from businessman Richard Carr’s company Future 3000. Future wanted to extend the Winter Gardens by 1,393 sq m (15,000 sq ft) to accommodate a restaurant and bar, an option that was chosen in a public consultation exercise conducted by the council.
Future 3000 claims it has spent £60,000 on its plans for the Winter Gardens is “bewildered” by the decision to reject its scheme by 29 votes to 23. “In any other country, Richard Carr would have been viewed as a white knight saviour, yet in Bournemouth he is still perceived as the villain,” added Future 3000.
David Morris, chairman of the Friends of the Winter Gardens, said Bournemouth had already lost its orchestras and had now lost another piece of its history.
EGi News 19/03/01
