Savills : planning achieves green light for major mixed-use redevelopment of Bournemouth’s Winter Gardens

The application proposes a scheme comprising 352 residential apartments, leisure, commercial and retail, embodying quality architecture, to deliver Bournemouth Council's vision for the future of this important part of the town centre. This transformational scheme will create a contemporary, elegant and sustainable mixed-use development and aims to meet the needs of Bournemouth now and in the future.

The Winter Gardens will become an important part of a vibrant mixed-use quarter. Architecturally interesting buildings and spaces within an innovatively-designed landscape will deliver vibrancy and activity, while respecting residential amenity. The development site is situated within five minutes' walk of Bournemouth's 12-mile-long golden sandy beach, offering spectacular views across to The Needles and Old Harry Rocks, and is the same distance from the attractions of Bournemouth town centre.

The scheme comprises a number of tall buildings and, in combination with the commercial and leisure uses, will deliver a high quality mixed-use development on this strategically important but currently underutilised site.

From 2019, Bournemouth will become part of a new combined unitary authority and Winter Gardens will be part of the step change that will encourage people into the heart of the classic resort city. The region is already on an upward trajectory, increasingly seen as a financial centre - JP Morgan has based its EMEA operations in Bournemouth. The adjacent town of Poole, which will form part of the new combined authority with Bournemouth and Christchurch, is internationally renowned as a centre for the marine industry, with Sunseeker and the RNLI based at Poole Harbour.

Savills Wimborne planning team were the planning advisors to Bournemouth Development Company.

Duncan Johnston, Director, Bournemouth Development Company, said:

'We are delighted with the Planning Board's decision. The commitment to the Winter Gardens site over a number of years, and the hard work of the whole team, has today helped to start a new chapter in the transformation of this iconic but long-disused site.

'Bournemouth has a lot to be proud of, and we want to safeguard this for the future. The regeneration of the Winter Gardens site is a truly aspirational, exciting and significant step in helping the town become the best place to live, work and study in.

'The Winter Gardens will also be a major boost for the local economy, providing modern and attractive spaces for businesses, creating new jobs and encouraging more visitor numbers into the town throughout the year.'

Peter Lamb, Savills Wimborne planning team, said:

'This exciting project is the culmination of over three years of hard work with Bournemouth Development Company to bring forward a scheme that is transformational and that will deliver a significant amount of residential, commercial and leisure space in the town centre.

'Bournemouth is rapidly changing through the delivery of several major projects, and once the new unitary authority is formed in April 2019, the Winter Gardens redevelopment will help set the tone for a prosperous Urban Dorset'.