A BETTER BOURNEMOUTH
THE HORSESHOE COMMON VICINITY
The saga of the jinxed newly built flats opposite Horseshoe Common goes on. Built by the council owned Bournemouth Development Company in 'partnership' with Morgan Sindall (BDC i.e.the taxpayer 80% MS 20%) in a completely inappropriate part of the town it seems that the council are so ashamed of these flats that they are being marketed by "Stebbings Property Group" from their office in Marlowe, Buckinghamshire. Clearly the council are aware that no one who lives locally and is right in the head would want to wake up on a Saturday or Sunday morning to find the streets outside their apartment block covered in vomit, urine, fast food packaging and all the rest of the rubbish that Bournemouth's exciting 24hr cosmopolitan lifestyle (Their words) brings.
To compound our misery the council have spent upwards of £850k on 'upgrading' the immediate surrounding area, so now we have new benches for them to throw up over. It is clear from the agents brochure that whatever Bournemouth Councillors might tell you to the contrary, they are 100% committed to the late night "economy". It is difficult to understand what part of the market these flats were built for. At £125k for a small studio with no parking to £350k for a 3 bed family size apartment they are not exactly cheap. No affordable housing element M. Lawton and Mr.Beesley. So young 1st time buyers are out. So are retirees unless they are misled by the agents into thinking it is a nice part of town. No one in their right mind would expose young children to that environment so who is left? Single adults sharing, partying and renting from property investors who probably live out of town. We know the slippery slope that takes us down. 150 yards along the road Beesley has built 4 blocks of student accommodation. The student population of Bournemouth is expected to rise to 20,000. This town will be irreversibly changed for ever. As sleazy as Brighton? Most probably worse!
SPECTRUM HOUSING
Last month (April 2014) the Dorset Local Enterprise Panel gave a grant of $50k to Spectrum Housing to extend its ‘pathway program back to employment’. In other words…..get more cheap labour. Spectrum Housing are also members of the DLEP. Trebles all round!!! So a Government quango votes to give one of its own members a government grant! CORRUPT? IMMORAL? Amongst the members of the DLEP are John Beesley of Bournemouth Council, Builder and County Councillor Spencer Flower, Jitinder Yakhar of Spectrum Housing and surveyor to the Ramsdens Philip Warr.