The vision
Royal London, the UK’s largest mutual life, pensions and investment company, is proposing the transformation of the site at 14 Bath Road, Bournemouth, into a purpose-built, high-quality residential building designed to support local businesses and economy, with the specific needs of local residents at its heart.
Under the proposals, 14 Bath Road, currently a cleared site on a key route into Bournemouth town centre, will become a future-proofed and sympathetically designed asset to the local community.
Careful consideration has been given to the requirements of the local community, the economic landscape, and the priorities set out by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council, to deliver a proposal centred around people, communities, place, and environment.
The vision for 14 Bath Road aligns with the need for a place where people, nature, coast, and town come together in sustainable, safe, and healthy communities. The proposals deliver a high-quality scheme offering new homes for a variety of different requirements, from studios to three-bedroom apartments. Alongside the homes a new café and public realm will be delivered, providing an important new facility for the local community and supporting the local economy.
There is a recognised and urgent need for local residents to access purpose-built, professionally-managed accommodation which fulfils exceptional sustainability standards within a contemporary, high-quality living environment. The vision for 14 Bath Road actively responds to this need through the transformation of a high profile location into a much-needed asset, promoting community interaction through a variety of amenities, contributing positively to the built environment aesthetic, supporting a sustainable vision, and crucially offering these much-needed homes.
Build to rent
We propose that these residential apartments are delivered as a ‘Build to Rent’ scheme, which is now a major part of the UK Housing Market.
The most common tenure type in the Bournemouth Central ward is private rented, with a much lower proportion of owned properties within the ward compared to the Borough and wider region, indicating strong demand in the rental sector. This perceived demand is strengthened by Local Plan policy which highlights a problematic concentration of HMOs. The proposed development would help to address this demand by providing a professionally-managed, quality alternative to renting in HMOs and from private landlords.
In addition to increasing housing supply to meet demand, this Build to Rent scheme would also deliver:
High quality accommodation built to the latest standards
A first-class rental option with quality customer service to retain renters and maximise occupancy levels
Increased mixed uses and footfall near to the town centre
Economic benefits
Increased retention of postgraduate student population by providing a desirable and accessible place to live
Increased footfall into the town centre and surrounding areas, supporting local businesses
£1.7m estimated resident annual spend on in-person retail and leisure
351 jobs created directly through construction process
£28m net Gross Value Added (GVA) contribution to the regional economy during construction process
£556k estimated local spend by construction workers, on food, drink and accommodation
£289k anticipated council tax revenue expected from completed development
Data provided by Montagu Evans LLP, on behalf of Royal London, in support of the proposed Build to Rent (BTR) development at 14 Bath Road, Bournemouth.
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The site
14 Bath Road, Bournemouth is the site of the former Belvedere Hotel, adjacent to St Peters Roundabout and situated between Lansdowne and Bournemouth Beach.
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Proposals
Our emerging proposals for 14 Bath Road seek to bring the site back into use and deliver more high-quality accommodation in Bournemouth.
The development has been designed to the latest standards and will be held and operated for the long term as rental apartments, providing much needed housing for local people.