A council leader has claimed that planners were offered “tainted” money to sell a seafront plot of land for office development. The authority had previously earmarked the site as a temporary stop-over for travellers.
Poole-based Forelle Estates had initially offered the borough council £250,000 for the land at Marshes End, Creekmoor. The developer plans to build a landmark office block on the plot which, it claims, could create as many as 200 jobs. But when its first approach was turned down by the authority’s chief executive, John McBride, Forelle continued to crank up its bid.
Defending the council’s decision to sell the land for £400,000 council leader, Elaine Atkinson, said: “I believe the offer went up and up to try to influence the planning committee, but this didn’t happen. I don’t think members were influenced, I think that the planning committee sat and made their decision on the reports that were before them.
“Whilst I agree that the money was offered to buy us off and I agree it was tainted, the site is also tainted,” she added. “So let’s get on with it. Let’s sell this piece of land and get some office accommodation on it. And don’t forget we still have the planning influence to say what it should look like and what it should do.”
The same meeting was also due to vote on a scheme to convert the wasteland into a site for the travelling community. Urging the committee to reject the transit camp proposal in favour of the sale, Creekmoor councillor Judy Butt, said any money raised could be used to finance a private land deal to help end the borough’s search for a suitable traveller site. “Failure to accept this bid will lead to having the same old scruffy piece of land there for another 20 years,” she added.
Forelle — which already owns Forelle House and Phoenix House adjacent to the Marshes End site — lodged its final bid with the council just three days before the meeting. It stressed the offer would only remain on the table until the end of March.
The company’s managing director, Michael Price, has always maintained that Poole is in urgent need of extra office space. “The £400,000 offer is twice the level of any independent open market valuation for the plot,” claimed Price.
In January there were rowdy scenes at Poole’s Civic Centre when 200 people attempted to invade an emergency council meeting due to discuss Forelle’s latest offer, which then stood at £350,000. In a letter to that meeting Price said: “This site is a prominent gateway to Poole and could be developed with property the borough could be proud of as a place for business.”
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