Agenda item - Redevelopment of Beach Road Car Park, Poole

BCP FuturePlaces Ltd, (“FuturePlaces”) a wholly owned Urban Regeneration Company (URC) was set up with the fundamental purpose to drive “Place Making”, regeneration, and property market transformation both across key sites owned by the Council and the wider area to support the aspirations set out in the Council’s Big Plan.

The FuturePlaces business plan approved by Cabinet in June 2022 lists the key sites the company has been tasked with progressing the regeneration of, including Beach Road Car Park.

This report sets out FuturePlaces outline business case (OBC) and confirms the recommended use for this site is that the south section is sold for residential development with the north section retained and redeveloped to provide improved public car parking facilities with at least the equivalent number of existing useable spaces. This proposal optimises the value and return for the Council by disposing of part of the site whilst improving and retaining public car parking.

In order to progress with the recommended option approval is also sought to;

1. finalise the Planning Development Brief and commence public consultation;

2. declare the south part of Beach Road car park surplus to Council requirements and;

3. progress the preparatory steps required for the disposal of the south part of the site as a residential redevelopment opportunity on the open market

It is important to note that a further Cabinet report will follow in Spring 2024 seeking approval of the full business case for investment in the rear car park, as well as approvals to dispose of the south section of the site, adopt the Planning Development Brief and appropriate the site for planning purposes.

Cabinet is required to review the options outlined in the OBC and confirm approval of the recommendations below.

[PLEASE NOTE: Should the Cabinet wish to discuss the detail of the confidential appendices the meeting will be required to move into Confidential (Exempt) Session]

It is RECOMMENDED that Cabinet:

(a) approves the Outline Business Case attached at Appendix A for Beach Road Car Park endorsing the recommended option contained therein;

(b) agrees to pay FuturePlaces for its development advice services and costs associated with the preparation of the outline business case totalling £74k, and to include the scheme in the Council’s Capital Investment Programme;

(c) agrees to move the project to Full Business Case stage and commit costs estimated at £586k;

(d) authorises officers to finalise and consult on the Planning Development Brief in accordance with Regulation 12 of the Town and Country Planning regulations;

(e) declares the site surplus to requirements; and

(f) ask as part of that full business case to look at options to reinvest eventual surplus funds to regeneration with a particular focus on Poole Bus Station.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Development, Growth, Regeneration and Transformation

Reason

The proposed development will support the Council’s Corporate Plan objective to ‘create Dynamic Places through strategic regeneration or redevelopment opportunities and the vision set out in the ‘Big Plan’ to Rejuvenate Poole and Act at Scale with the aim to deliver more than 15,000 new homes.

It will optimise the use and value of this asset and provide a capital receipt for the Council.

The Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Development, Growth, Regeneration and Transformation presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'H' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet was advised that the FuturePlaces business plan approved by Cabinet in June 2022 listed the key sites the company had been tasked with progressing the regeneration of, including Beach Road Car Park.

Cabinet was informed that this report sets out FuturePlaces outline business case (OBC) and confirmed that the recommended use for this site is that the south section is sold for residential development with the north section retained and redeveloped to provide improved public car parking facilities with at least the equivalent number of existing useable spaces.

Cabinet was advised that this proposal optimises the value and return for the Council by disposing of part of the site whilst improving and retaining public car parking.

Cabinet was advised that in order to progress with the recommended option approval is also sought to;

1. finalise the Planning Development Brief and commence public consultation;

2. declare the south part of Beach Road car park surplus to Council requirements and;

3. progress the preparatory steps required for the disposal of the south part of the site as a residential redevelopment opportunity on the open market.

Cabinet was informed that a further Cabinet report will follow in Spring 2024 seeking approval of the full business case for investment in the rear car park, as well as approvals to dispose of the south section of the site, adopt the Planning Development Brief and appropriate the site for planning purposes.

Cabinet was requested to review the options outlined in the OBC and confirm approval of the recommendations below.

Members of the wider Cabinet addressed the meeting stressing the importance of in particular looking at ways in which the bus station could be redeveloped, whilst understanding the difficulties with the council not being in direct ownership of the site.

The Leader of the Council proposed an additional recommendation at (f) with a view to looking at options to reinvest eventual surplus funds to regeneration with particular focus on Poole Bus Station.

It is RECOMMENDED that Cabinet: -