It was intended the ground floor of block A would be run by the NHS as a medical facility, but despite best efforts no formal agreement has been made with the NHS.
BCP Council’s Cabinet considered a report on February 4 to allow the development to go ahead without a formal agreement in place with the NHS by the reclassifying the ground floor from medical use to general commercial use. By reclassifying the area it allows the council to continue negotiations with the NHS but if they are unable to commit allows the space to be used by other businesses.
The overall cost of the whole project is £23.9million, Homes England has provided £9.7million towards the project and £7million of funding comes from the Boscombe Towns Fund. The remaining £6.6million of funding will be coming from the council’s borrowing.
The money from the Boscombe Towns Fund and Homes England is linked to start‑on‑site and completion deadlines.
Councillor Patrick Canavan told committee members: “We are at a critical point with this development and if we don’t do this, we risk losing the whole project which would be a disaster for the area.”
Cllr Canavan said he does support the project but he has concerns about the fact the money that is in the towns fund for this project will “disappear at the end of March and my concerns is the potential gap that creates in terms of actually delivering this project.”
Councillor Millie Earl said: “There has been a huge amount of frustration over the last year and a half as to where we stand with this development and I just wanted to confirm just how committed we are to delivering this project.”
Speaking after the meeting Councillor Kieron Wilson, portfolio holder for housing and regulatory services at BCP Council, said: “Today’s recommendation to council is an important one as we look to deliver 68 much-needed council homes in Boscombe – protecting nearly £17million of external grant funded investment.
“We continue to have positive discussions with NHS partners about their future involvement and the recommendation we have put forward today, to progress the build contract, will ensure the overall project stays on track for local residents.”
“Our focus remains on delivering high‑quality homes, improving the local environment, and securing long‑term benefits for the community.”
Cabinet voted unanimously to approve the recommendation to be taken to full Council for approval.