Poole civic centre sale still not ruled out despite council defeat

The Grade II listed building in Municipal Road was earmarked for sale after a review found the local authority forks out £19k every month for holding costs. 

But a successfully passed proposal by Mark Howell at a full council meeting on October 15 now means the building may not be sold in its entirety. 

It can be sold in one of two ways: the whole site or the disposal of the whole site minus the vertically sliced civic function.

The “vertical slice” means part of the building is retained for public use and the other is sold off to a private buyer. 

Poole civic centre (Image: Newsquest)

Mike Cox, cabinet member for finance, disagreed with Cllr Howell's proposals, saying “this [now] won’t get sold” and the council will now have to continue paying £250k every year for it. 

He added: “We should use this site for the purposes for which we wanted to be done and that’s housing development and commercial use.” 

Senior officers have said that BCP Council has paid £2.5m in keeping the building since the merger of councils in 2019. The civic centre has been unoccupied since 2022.

Labour has been campaigning against the sale, insisting that once it’s sold it will be gone forever – adding that the space could be used for the mayor’s office or coroner’s court. 

Protesters outside Bournemouth town hall (Image: Poole Labour) Neil Duncan-Jordan, Labour MP for Poole, has been campaigning for the sale not to go ahead, or for the council to at least consult residents first.

He said: “This decision shows that local people recognise the importance of keeping public assets in the hands of local residents.  

“It’s regrettable that even some of the civic centre is going to be sold off, but this compromise at least keeps part of the building for public use rather than private profit.” 

Jake Ruggier, vice chair of Poole Labour and the lead campaigner on the ‘Save Poole Civic Centre’ movement, added that “common sense has prevailed”. 

He said: “Poole residents stood up for our town, signed petitions, protested outside the council building, urged councillors not to support the sale, and we succeeded. This is democracy in action.” 

Patrick Canavan, BCP Labour leader, said after the meeting that the Lib Dem-led administration “have simply not been listening to the strength of feeling”. 

He added: “We have said repeatedly that Poole residents deserve to have their say in what happens to this building and we will be making sure that their voice is heard.” 

In total, 35 councillors voted in favour of the vertical slice sale, including some cabinet members and Lib Dem councillors, and 26 voted in line with cabinet’s proposals to sell off the entire building. 

Cllr Cox added: “Poole Civic Centre is a building that costs around £19,000 a month to maintain in business rates, electricity for fire alarms and security measures, maintenance requirements, mild levels of heating and standing charges for water.  

"This outlay is a significant draw on the council’s budget, and we simply don’t believe significant levels of taxpayers resources should be put at risk to develop the site ourselves for the sort of uses being suggested. 

“The council should always ensure its assets are managed in an efficient and effective way and we must prioritise the vital services that our residents rely on, such as filling potholes and Adult & Children’s social care. 

“The people of Poole have been consulted on this site via the Local Plan. Many options open to the council have been discussed by members at a number of meetings in the years since Local Government Reorganisation. 

“Following the amendment passed by Council, and following soft market testing, Cabinet and then Council will again be asked to consider options for the former civic centre in Poole. 

“This soft market testing will consider two options - disposal of the whole site, and disposal of the whole site minus the vertically sliced civic function.”