Today I was in Bournemouth looking at a beautiful Edwardian Gentlemen’s residence – it was a gorgeous building with parking at the front, a lovely garden and tree top views.
Inside it had great proportions and some lovely features. OK, so it was dated and had been used as a rooming house for years but it had a lovely grand feel
Unfortunately, the sums didn’t stack to turn it back into one family house. Nor did they stack as a conversion project. BUT they did stack as a bulldoze and start again project. Just like the neighbouring block of flats which had been done some years previously:
However – planning has tightened since then and it’s difficult to get such high density without the necessary amenity space (car parking etc). The planners were not keen at all….although they were accepting that the house could be replaced with an increased number of units.
Sadly the bank were even less keen – since the new build flat fiasco their lending criteria for projects like this make it almost impossible to finance.
The Edwardian house lives another day – I can’t raise the finance to replace it with my vision of Bournemouth town centre living!
Tony van Bergen
Hi Sam
This type of bulldoze development has been happening a lot around Ascot & Sunningdale where I used to live until a few years ago.
It has in fact started to changed the character of the area to such an extent that these Large old character properties command a premium now for their scarcity value. It may take a couple of years to swing the same way in Bournemouth but it may be worth considering.
The other options had been to demolish the existing house and build either a much larger modern house; if the area would permit it or even 3 similar sized houses on the same size plot all with much larger gardens.
You have probably done the calculations on these options already but I thought I would mention it anyway.
All the best
Tony
Sam
Tony, thanks for your comments and your food for thought. I agree that there may be an upswing – issue is trying to finance the place in the meantime. It needs so much work just to try and get it up to standard to let. There is huge demand from foreign students and uni students – as well as professional working tenants, but the property lacks the basics – central heating!
I thought this was a beautiful project in a lovely road and would have preferred to have done a conversion (if the family house scenrio didn’t come good) – there is always that conflict between what your heart wants to do and what your head tells you to do! Unfortunately conversions are just so expensive.
Tweets that mention Bulldozing in Bournemouth? How to make the most of that plot! | What Sam Saw Today -- Topsy.com
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Pimlico Flats (Nick) and Flexlet, Sam Collett. Sam Collett said: Bulldozing in Bournemouth? How to make the most of that plot! http://f.ast.ly/yRmMv […]