On 1st February 2010, Bournemouth Council bought the head lease of the Waterfront building on Bournemouth’s seafront. It is now actively pursuing the acquisition of the two subleases which are held by the original operators of the IMAX cinema and the Council has resolved to use Compulsory Purchase Powers to secure these units, neither of which are currently trading. Once they are under Council control it can proceed with its plans for the site.
The intention is to redevelop or substantially alter the existing building, with two clear aims:
1. To improve sea views; and
2. To bring about an all-weather attraction that is commercially viable, successful and can be enjoyed by people, in a building that the town can be proud of.
What has happened so far?
In March, the Council asked people for their opinions on the future use of the building. 3,509 people responded, ranking seven possible attractions for the site.
A combination of tropical gardens, water park, interactive arts, museum & entertainment, and performing arts space proved the most popular choices.
2,000 respondents to the consultation also gave us comments. Some of these were about the possible attractions, and many were about other aspects of the Waterfront that are important to them, including the sea views and the height and size of the building.
How has the Council used the consultation results?
Today (2nd July 2010) we are publishing our Draft Planning Brief. This is a document aimed at developers and sets out our aspirations for the site – based on the consultation findings. The final Planning brief will give guidance to developers and their architects on the planning policies that apply to the redevelopment and how they should be interpreted.
Here, we have summarised the key points made in the Draft Planning Brief, and we welcome your comments on them.
