Extract from Bournemouth Civic Society's twice yearly Newsletter

John Barker is the Newsletter editor

Conservation in Bournemouth and Government circular PPG3

A conflict between Bournemouth Council and the Government Planning Inspectorate could develop into a considerable threat to surviving areas of late 19th/early 20th century townscape in Bournemouth (much of which lies in Conservation Areas) unless more imaginative attitudes are exhibited.

As a result of a recent policy guidance paper PPG3 issued by the Department of the Environment, which exhorts Councils to allow new developments at relatively high densities within the centres of towns and cities, many greedy developers have interpreted this advice as a green light to put in planning applications for excessively large projects.

This action poses a potential danger to the older parts of Bournemouth where an exceptionally high ratio between unbuilt to built-on space is the distinctive ambiance of our garden city resort.

In such circumstances, urban conservation is as much about preserving unique spatial relationships as about taking into consideration the positive design qualities of particular buildings or groups of buildings.

Unfortunately, at some recent planning enquiries, the inspector --- not necessarily acquainted with urban characteristics as unique as those of Bournemouth --- has allowed appeals based, probably, on too narrow and literal interpretation of the aforementioned government guidelines.

Even if proposed new blocks of flats in residential neighbourhoods might be disguised in the form of overlarge Victorian or Edwardian villas, no amount of historical cladding can disguise the greater density of the new development in comparison with the surviving original structures. Other similar intrusions will further erode the original appearance of the area.

Again in more central locations where style may be less important than density, if permission is given for an exceptionally large building, an important vista in which continued conservation of both natural and made elements are of great importance for the continued distinctiveness of Bournemouth as a well loved resort, could be at risk.

It is therefore essential that this unfortunate clash of aesthetic perceptions between the Planning Inspectorate, Bournemouth Council and the people of Bournemouth be resolved as soon as possible before elements of the exceptional build environment of our town are fatally compromised by insensitive interpretations of current planning policy.