Development proposals to build a landmark residential scheme of up to 80 apartments on the site of Durley Road car park will be brought before Bournemouth Council’s Cabinet this week on Wednesday 15 October as part of the Town Centre Vision.
The proposals include an apartment block for open market sale which will be made up of one, two and three bed apartments and associated car parking. The development will predominantly target first-time buyers and other owner occupiers. The site at Durley Road occupies a prominent location on the western approach to the town which has the potential to feature an iconic building at this important gateway to the town centre.
Two different schemes have been prepared by the Bournemouth Development Company, the Council’s joint venture with Morgan Sindall Investments; one for a low rise development which utilises the vast majority of the site and one for a slender high rise development. If the Durley Road Site Development Plan is approved by Cabinet then the decision will be reached as to which scheme is most suitable for the site after the pre-planning consultation process.
The Leader of the Council, Councillor John Beesley, said: “The proposals for the Durley Road development will help to maximise the town’s economic potential and unlock further investment in Bournemouth. Our Town Centre Vision is about strengthening our competitiveness as a town to live and work in and instilling pride through great architecture and the creation of a quality built environment.
“We want to build high quality homes that meet the high expectations of prospective buyers in the current market. This will help attract more residents to the town centre, drive demand for new jobs, increase retail spend and accelerate regeneration.”
If Cabinet accepts the outline recommendations at Durley Road, a planning application for the development is likely to be submitted by the Bournemouth Development Company in the summer of 2015. If progressed, work could start on site in early 2016 with the first residents moving in by 2017.
Bournemouth Development Company, the joint venture between the Council and Morgan Sindall Investments Ltd, has already completed two development projects at Madeira Road and is due to complete the development at Leyton Mount in the spring of 2015.
