The Stage

Tory council revokes £20m Bournemouth Winter Garden rebuild decision

Published Tuesday 5 June 2007 at 13:20 by Andrew Millington

The future of a £20 million scheme to rebuild Bournemouth Winter Gardens has been thrown into doubt.

The new Conservative-controlled borough council has reversed a decision, made only last month, which gave the go-ahead for the redevelopment of the site for the New Winter Gardens arts and education centre.

It was to be the only centre in Britain where professional music and arts organisations work together. The council was working in partnership with the Arts Institute, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Dance South West.

The new venue offered flexible performance spaces, an art house cinema, studio and rehearsal rooms as well as student accommodation with an on-site warden.

But the Tories won control of the council from the Liberal Democrats on May 3 and, at a special meeting, voted by 40 to 9 with three abstentions to go back to the drawing board.

Council leader Stephen MacLoughlin said: “The whole town is familiar with the Winter Gardens and the long, protracted history of what to do with the site and the building that once stood on it.

“We are not at this stage ruling anything in or anything out.”

The 69-year-old, 2,000-seat venue was demolished last year after standing empty for several years.