Issue - meetings

In September 2023, Cabinet approved the establishment of an Investment and Development Directorate which would be responsible for the delivery of the priority programmes for regeneration, Council Newbuild and Acquisition delivery and Smart Places.

This report provides an update on the establishment process and progress against the Council’s approved regeneration priorities. The four priorities approved by Cabinet in September 2023 are the former Holes Bay power station site, redevelopment of the Dolphin Leisure Centre, proposals for the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) and the Winter Gardens development.

The Leader of the Council presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'B' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

The Leader provided an overview of progress in delivering the priority programmes for regeneration. Following the closure of FuturePlaces, a new ‘in house’ Investment and Development Directorate had been established to continue this work. The current focus was on delivering the first four priority sites, before the ability to deliver more. Factors affecting the delivery of these projects had now been identified and an effective delivery model had now been established with input from partners. The delivery model aimed to work more efficiently across regeneration and housing, based on the priorities set out in paragraph 10 of the report and linked to the corporate strategy. In the context of the national housing crisis, It was noted that housing delivery was the driver for two of the sites in particular. The Leader referred to the challenges which had emerged over the last five years, including the current financial climate and the impact on funding and borrowing, changes to legal and planning obligations, the labour and skills shortage and changes to affordable housing grants.

The Board was advised that decisions on the following four sites were due to be made through the democratic process in March 2025:

1) Holes Bay former power station site – the next step was to prepare a development brief to ensure the site delivered what was required and to attract a partner at an early stage. The advantages of the site had attracted interest and investment from Homes England. 

2) Dolphin Leisure Centre – there was more flexibility in considering options now the leisure centre had been brought back into council ownership. The outcome of the structural surveys was awaited. Options were to improve the current centre or redevelop it completely. It was noted that the use of some of the land in the area to finance the build was no longer viable (but this land could still be used for housing)

3) Winter Gardens – the previous planning consent had expired and was no longer viable but it had established a blueprint. The current car park provided a good revenue stream and an option was to see if the revenue stream could continue alongside the delivery of homes on site.

4) Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) – consideration of the building being functional/operational balanced against the question of whether it was best use of a landmark location. Options were to consider external funding, if there was interest, or to work with what was already there in partnership with BH Live.

The Leader explained that a more collective approach was now being taken to the regeneration projects across the three relevant Cabinet portfolios.

A number of points were raised and responded to including:

• Would the Dolphin Leisure Centre likely become housing? It would not be replaced by housing. The area was being considered as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 98