BCP Council (Bournemouth): Pure Town Planning are thrilled to announce that we have secured planning permission to extend the temporary permission at SOBO Beach to allow the operator to retain the existing buildings at the site and continue operations until 31st October 2027.
SOBO Beach is a well-used local facility at Southbourne Beach, which provides entertainment and dining opportunities for the local community and visitors. It occupies the land at the former Solent Beach Complex, which is owned by BCP Council.
Those familiar with the local area will remember that the site was formerly occupied by a two-storey mixed-use building including the ‘Bistro on the Beach’ restaurant. This building was demolished by BCP Council in 2022 to make way for a new mixed use development comprising of a restaurant, public conveniences and kiosk at ground floor level, with 17 overnight lodges spread over two floors.
The temporary planning permission for the SOBO Beach development was approved in December 2024 to form a stop-gap to ensure that the site would continue to provide seafront leisure facilities for residents and visitors, whilst BCP Council reviewed their strategy. The previous planning permission has now expired and work remains on-going at BCP Council regarding the long term strategy for the site. Therefore the operators of SOBO Beach engaged our services to seek an extension to the current temporary permission, which was due to expire in October 2026.
To avoid the need for a fresh application, we recommended that client utilised the provisions set out under Section 73A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) to vary the temporary time limit condition on the parent permission.
To support the application, we put forward a robust justification which explained that without this extension, there would be a serious risk that the site would provide no facilities between October 2026 and October 2027, which would be a significant loss to the local community and the Council’s tourism offering for Southbourne Beach.
Upon review, the application was promptly recommended for approval by the Planning Officer. As the land is owned by BCP Council, the application had to be determined by the Council’s Planning Committee. Matt attended the meeting and spoke in support of the proposal. The application was positively received by Members and it was unanimously approved.
Our client was understandably delighted and they are looking forward to continuing to serve the community until 2027.
If you have been granted planning permission and would like to make changes to the scheme, then why not call Pure Town Planning on 01202 585524 or email info@puretownplanning.co.uk to see how we can help you.