Decision details

RESOLVED that: -

(a)          Cabinet approved the designation of the HSRA area for Bournemouth town centre (see map in paragraph 4); and

(b)          Cabinet agreed to delegate approval to the Chief Operations Officer in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Destination, Leisure and Commercial Operations to consider future designated areas or HSRAs subject to adhering to the consultation requirements.

Portfolio Holder: Destination, Leisure and Commercial Operations

Voting: Unanimous

Reasons

(a)          The Pre-HSRA work as defined by MHCLG requires the Local Authority to designate the high street before any auction notice can be served.

(b)          The recent HSRA public consultation on the proposed designated area resulted in an overall favourability of 75% when asked ‘Do you agree or disagree with the proposed area, shown in the map.’?

(c)          The HSRA programme supports the council’s Corporate Strategy:

                    i.              Revitalising and reinventing high streets and local centres

(d)          The HSRA programme supports the council’s High Street and District Centre Strategy:

(e)          Reimagining High Streets

(f)            Encouraging local investment

(g)          Transforming empty buildings

(h)          Improving the public realm

(i)            Celebrating pride in local communities

(j)            Supporting high street businesses

(k)          Although the vacancy rate by unit in Bournemouth town centre is roughly in line with national averages at 20%, there is clearly a great potential for HSRAs to engage landlords to fill those vacant units.

(l)            Bournemouth town centre continues to generate positive headlines, with examples including the successful openings of The Ivy and The Botanist, the collaborative Citizens’ Panel, and the ongoing transformation of Bobby’s, among other initiatives. Introducing HSRAs will build on this momentum and further revitalise the area.