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Minutes of a ‘Zoom’ Meeting of the Committee held at the Invitation of

Paul at 7.30pm on Monday 24th August 2020

Present: Ken Mantock (Chairman), Jean Bird (Vice Chairman), Elaine Cooper, and Paul Newsome (Minutes Secretary)

Apologies: John Barker (President), John Soane (Built Environment Officer, Sally McGrath (Membership Secretary), James Weir (Heritage and Conservation Officer), Beryl Parker, Phil Stanley-Watts and Hilda Brownlow

  1. Minutes. The minutes for the meeting held on 27th July were agreed.

2. Matters Arising from the Minutes:

  • Savoy Hotel. The Hotel will be re-opening soon so the possible threat of conversion/redevelopment has receded.

  • Healthy Homes Act. Elaine has circulated the information provided by the Town and Country Planning Association.

  1. Built Environment.

  • Boscombe & Pokesdown Neighbourhood Plan. The Echo feature on the regeneration scheme revealed plans to redevelop the Sovereign Centre and improve the listed Royal Arcade and adjacent 02 building. There were also plans for the developing the surface car parks. There would be new public consultations. John S, Elaine and Ken would check the proposals.

  • Viking Court, 47 Southbourne Overcliff Drive. The latest plans are for 9 flats, John Soane would examine the revised plan and comment as necessary. The residents were involving the local councillors and the Local Government Ombudsman case was being progressed by them.

  • Lucerne Arch. The Committee confirmed that they were happy for the Arch to be moved due to the issues of anti-social behaviour and the costs of cleaning and repainting but insisted that there should be a new and suitable prominent position for the Swiss Watch that would need to be relocated.

  • Friends of Riverside. Threats to Throop, Muscliffe and Holdenhurst Conservation Areas and Green Belt existed in the local plan as the search for sites for housing document had been recently published. The Cooper Dean Estate had put up for sale a tract of land at Holdenhurst. The Society had added its support to a press release to promote the preservation of the Green belt in this area being issued by local groups including Holdenhurst Parish Council and the Friends of Riverside.

  • Local Plan. The Society needed to keep a watching brief on plans for development across the Borough and be prepared to object to specific sites. Elaine, John S and Ken would check the documents.

  1. Heritage and Conservation.

  • Throop Mill. The new owners were hoping to lease or hire out the Mill. Elaine and Rod had been in touch with Michael Stead at Bournemouth Libraries.

  • Odeon Cinema. No news on final plans.

  1. Planning. See John Soane’s written reports:

JUNE

  • 95-191 Holdenhurst Road. The application to build a 15/17 storey building to provide space for 334 apartments to replace an existing commercial building of negligible architectural significance should be allowed.

  • 9 Tower Road. The planned extension to allow the conversion to an HMO was excessive and not suitable for the site and should be refused.

  • 16 Vale Road. The plan to build two medium sized three storey blocks on a corner site between Vale Road and Southcote Road. Two blocks was too much for the site and should be replaced with a single, slightly extended block. The façade on the Southcote Road side was insipid. The application should be deferred for reconsideration.

  • 129-139 Princess Road/8-14 Prince of Wales Road. This is a BCP Council application to build four large 6-10 storey blocks to form 121 flats and emergency accommodation for social housing applicants. The Society feels that the scheme should be reduced to three blocks or the central blocks reduced to 2-3 stories to prevent overcrowding. The plan should be deferred to further consideration.

  • 2A Fitzharris Avenue. The plan to replace an existing care home made by joining two 20th Century houses with a pair of semi-detached family houses and one detached house was excessive. The Society preferred the restoration of the original houses to family homes. The proposal failed to meet the policies of the local plan and should be deferred.

  • 128-130 Old Christchurch Road. The plan to build a five storey extension along Fir Vale Road would blend well with adjoining buildings and should be allowed

  • 15 Cheshire Drive/20 Wilkinson Drive. The plan to build a two storey block of four houses and a three storey block of nine flats on an open space. The quality of the designs was poor and the application failed to comply with the townscape policy and should be refused.

  • 22 Richmond Wood Road. The plan to extend a family residence to create two separate dwellings on a restricted site ans should be refused

  • 18-22a Studland Road. The application to build two 3-4 storey blocks containing 45 flats on the site of two existing houses. Whilst the design is satisfactory the blocks are two large and bulky and are inappropriate to this area and should be refused.

  • Bournemouth Hospital. The plans for a major extension of the medical facilities at

the Hospital should be allowed.

JULY

  • 6 St Michael’s Road. The application is to construct two mezzanine floors within the former 1877 Freemasons’ Hall and the Society think this should be allowed

  • 38 Florence Road. He plan is for a block of 8 flats on the site of a 19th Century

House because the footprint is larger than neighbouring houses and the style is not in

keeping, the Society thinks this application should be deferred

  • 127 West Way. A plan to extend the rear elevation with a poor quality façade should be reconsidered and pending this deferred

  • 60 Surrey Road. The application is to build a four storey block of 12 flats on the site of a converted five flat block. The Society considers this to be too big for the site and should be built with a less austere design and should be refused.

  • 16 Stevenson Road. An application to extend and alter a family home in what appeared to be a clumsy attempt to be both modern and traditional. It does not comply with the townscape policies and should be deferred.

  • 2 Midland Road An application to build a block of six flats, the design was satisfactory but the overall size of the building and the excessively small size of the rooms meant that this application should be deferred

  • 11 Bodorgan Road. An application to build a three storey terrace of semi detached houses within the Meyrick Park Conservation Area. The Society thinks the plan is too large for the site and should be deferred for further consideration.

  • Rear of 677a Christchurch Road. A plan to convert the foyer of a redundant cinema into two small dwellings. The Society considers that the proposed accommodation is unsuitable for human occupation and should be refused

  • Walpole Road Open Space. BCP Council has applied to build a café/community centre in a corner of Churchill Gardens. The Society considers the design to be elegant and that it should be allowed.

  • 212-214 Castle Lane West. An application to build two 2-storey linked blocks of six small flats on adjacent sites occupied by individual houses. The Society thinks that the design is satisfactory and it should be allowed.

  • Durley Chine Depot. A plan to develop council service buildings and build 11 beach huts to create an environmental education centre, café, toilets and staff facilities. The Society is happy with the design but should be deferred to permit further consideration the placing of the windows.

  • Hicks Common SANG. The application is supported in principal but great care must be taken not to create a flood of new traffic and activity in this rural green belt setting.

  1. Planning Board Observations: Sally’s observations had not been received at

the time of the meeting but it was noted that the Board Chairman was now Councillor

David Kelsey.

  1. Communications Timetable. Ken would be completing the newsletter in the next few weeks.

  1. Civic Voice. Civic Voice was mounting a national campaign against the recent Government relaxation of the Planning process.

  1. Membership Officer’s Report. No change.

  2. Webmaster’s Report. All good and up to date, the domain fee of £35.99 had been paid.

11. Treasurer’s Report:

  • Current Account. No report. Figure as last month less £35.99.

  • Keith Barnes Estate. No further news at current time.

  1. Caroline Peach Meeting. Ken had contacted Caroline, next meeting October or November. Jean would contact Caroline and suggest dates and agenda items.

13. Any Other Business

  • Bournemouth Flag. The Committee saw no need for a new Bournemouth flag.

  • Bournemouth Book . Ken had circulated information on a new book that Bill Hoodless was writing on the A to Z of Bournemouth history.

  • Bournemouth 2026. This had been recreated to be Dorset-wide. The Society had signed up to receive newsletters.

  • Closure of Overcliff Drive. The Society did not support the proposals to close part of the Overcliff Drive at either the East Cliff or Southbourne.

Next Meetings – Mondays 28th September and 26th October probably via ‘Zoom’ and starting at 7.30pm – Paul to be responsible for arrangements.

Ken Mantock

28th September 2020 Chairman

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