Car park to stay despite council's opposition

A town centre's 100-space car park can be used for another five years despite a council previously telling its owners that it needed to be shut down.

The Quayside Poole car park opened in 2009 but Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council told Stanborough Developments Ltd the site could no longer be used for that purpose.

However, planning inspector Paul Hocking quashed BCP Council's enforcement notice and gave the company permission to use the site.

The authority said the car park created too much parking in the harbour area, had a negative impact and would harm attempts to get people to use public transport or to walk and cycle.

The car park site was previously used for a grain silo, which was demolished about 16 years ago.

Mr Hocking found that there was "very little evidence" to show that using the site as a car park for another five years would result in overprovision for parking in the area.

He added that he was not persuaded that still using it would "harmfully erode" the council's efforts to get people to use other modes of transport.

Permission has previously been granted for 64 flats and two shops on the site.

But Mr Hocking said using it for the car park for another five years would not "unacceptably harm" any future development.

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