Poole Council set to sell off the Beach Road car park
The Residents Association is fighting to save the Beach Road car park from the developers. The Council in its search to bridge the funding gap is looking to realise on this valuable community asset. The sale would in our opinion only provide a short-term gain and not help at all with the housing crisis…. building a very few luxury apartments that would very likely finish up as second homes doesn’t provide any answers to the current housing problems.
The association holds the view that this car park should be promoted and developed rather than be hidden away. And then it will be a vital component in support of the ambitions £6.6 million scheme to revitalize and develop the sea front. To us it’s obvious that visitors, both local and from away, to the beaches and the associated businesses will need somewhere to park.
Planning inspector, Mr Malcolm Rivett BA (Hons) MSc MRTPI has been appointed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to undertake an independent examination into the soundness and legal compliance of the Poole Local Plan.
The Hearing sessions commenced on Tuesday 27 February 2018 and are due to last three weeks, with the final session on Thursday, 29 March 2018.
Roy Pointer supported by John Sprackling (President elect) represented the Association at the Hearing Session held during the afternoon of Wednesday, 14 March 2018.
The section of the Plan subject to review at this Hearing Session was the Urban Housing and Mixed-Use Allocations outside the Town Centre and the Association’s particular interest was site U8 (Beach Road car park), where the Council proposes to sell off the top-half of the car park for re-development with 50 to 70 luxury flats.
Mr Pointer had already submitted a lengthy written representation at the pre-submission stage and this was an occasion for an informal debate on the principal matters identified by the inspector.
Quite a number of Association members attended the hearing to show their support and demonstrate to the inspector the strength of local feeling. It has yet to be announced when the inspector will inform the Council the result of his examination.
We will report as further in due course.
Roger Allen
Vice Chair BPCCRA
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