BOSCOMBE’S Royal Arcade has attracted the attention of a developer just months after the council ruled out repurposing the Victorian shopping centre. 

BCP Council put the brakes on its redevelopment of the building earlier this year because of soaring costs. 

The local authority got as far as putting forward plans to redevelop the space into a new food hall and office space – to the fury of existing shopkeepers. 

And while planning permission for this was granted in August, councillors hoped that this would prompt the private sector to come forward to fix the decaying Grade II listed building. 

Now a London-based developer has lodged its own plans for the building which involves redeveloping the upper floors from office space into 26 new residential flats. 

A statement from the applicant’s agent Pure Town Planning said the proposals brought forward “is the best way to safeguard the heritage” of the historic arcade. 

It said: “The vision as before is to bring back into use these empty spaces by providing much-needed high quality and reasonably-priced flat and office units to Boscombe. 

“This application is made in the firm belief that this proposal is the best way to safeguard the heritage value of the Royal Arcade and form an important part of the regeneration of this vibrant local centre. 

“It is the applicant’s intention to sensitively refurbish and revitalise the existing run down and dilapidated dwellings on the first and second floors of the Royal Arcade regenerate this building back to its former glory which will have a very positive impact on the current regeneration initiative (‘Backing Boscombe’) in Boscombe.” 

Photographs from the inside show the ceiling suffering from damp and almost falling down, wallpaper torn off the walls and a fireplace that has fallen down. 

Ward councillor Patrick Canavan previously said the building is in a “state of disrepair” internally adding it has been “neglected over a very significant period”. 

But a report by BCP Council’s senior officers said the grants awarded to Boscombe by the government were “insufficient to bridge the gap in funding to deliver the project”. 

BCP Council does not own the Royal Arcade and it estimates that buying and renovating the building would cost the authority £11.54m.   

However, it was reported last year that the scheme's costs had soared by more than £7m after it was confirmed that extensive structural and internal building works would be required.