Civic centre back on market after deal falls through

A listed civic building is being put back to market again after negotiations with a development company to purchase it for £5.25m fell through.

Cabinet approved a freehold sale of the vacant Grade II listed Poole Civic Centre to MCR Property Group in July last year, after the site was marketed earlier that year.

The sale had been expected to be completed by the end of March this year.

A new report states that negotiations over the heads of terms and contracts could not be concluded because MCR wanted to change the terms of its original offer.

Under the earlier terms, MCR would have negotiated with Poole Town Council after the sale to lease part of the former civic offices, known as the vertical slice.

The report says that arrangement is no longer needed because the town council now proposes to occupy Poole Museum instead.

A cross-party group looking at asset disposals agreed on 14 October to proceed without an option to lease that part of the building back to the town council or another party.

BCP Council's overview and scrutiny board will consider the report on 16 November, recommending that the whole site is offered to bidders again.

The proposal will need approval from the full council before a new tender can proceed.

Mike Cox, deputy leader of BCP Council and cabinet member for finance, said: "We know some people have a connection to the former Poole Civic Centre, but we also have a responsibility to ensure public assets deliver the best value for local taxpayers."

He said at a time when local authorities were "under significant financial pressure" it was "vital" to "progress the sale as quickly as possible".

"We remain committed to getting this deal done and will continue to keep residents updated," he said.

In July SAVE Britain's Heritage added the site to its annual buildings at risk register.

It has been empty since 2022 and last year the council said it was costing £228,000 a year to maintain.