Bournemouth's £55M complex in doubt

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Bournemouth complex in doubt !

Plan for a £55million entertainment and restaurant complex overlooking Bournemouth Gardens are now in doubt as the company funding the scheme pulls out.

The West Central scheme would have comprised a multiplex cinema and 17 new restaurants built on the Exeter Road carpark located in  Bournemouth's town centre, but it now looks as if it is to be shelved unless new funding can be found.

X Leisure, headed by former Millenium Dome boss PY Gerbeau, are the largest owner and operator of leisure investment properties in the country. who's portfolio includes Poole's Tower Park were to provide conditional funding for the scheme.

However X Leisure withdrew from the scheme just before building work was due to start because of the current economic climate. The decision came after developer Licet Holdings Limited successfully signed up a number of anchor tenants, including a number of restaurant operators that would have been new to Bournemouth.

Licet director Chris Dymond said: "After seven years of work and having secured the key operators, all of whom are keen to come to Bournemouth, this news has come as a huge disappointment. Bournemouth Borough Council has been extremely supportive of the proposals throughout and we now plan to sit down with them over the coming weeks to see what opportunities we can take from this difficult siuation."

Bournemouth's director of technical services Roger Ball said: "We are of course disappointed that the regeneration of this key site appears to not now be going ahead in the form we had anticipated. A leisure scheme on this site has long been an aspiration of local people and the council, as well as Licet Holdings. We welcome Licet's suggestion of a meeting and will do all we can as a council to bring about appropriate and more valuable use of this town centre site."

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