Bournemouth Residents against Student Accommodation Project

The new student accommodation building project on Holdenhurst Road has been suspended by Bournemouth Council due to Bournemouth residents’ objection letters.

Watkins Jones building company presented to the Bournemouth Council a plan that included building of a 710 student units, 1500 seat auditorium for the East Cliff Church and a convenience store on the place of a former B&Q, but on 20th October 2008 the plan was suspended because of the 39 letters of objections received from the Bournemouth residents.

Lisa Hugh, 51, says: “There are already so many student Residence Halls in town centre, why should we add one more and increase the noise and traffic problems? Who will stop students bringing their cars in here? I think there should be more restrictions for students in Bournemouth, especially in the town centre“.

Mr Charles Elder, Bournemouth University Press and PR Officer, on the other hand thinks the companies like Watkins Jones should be encouraged to build new student homes, because at the moment the university has room in managed accommodations only for about 2000 students out of 16000 total.

“Bournemouth benefits from the students being here and there is a huge economic impact on the town... I know that the Council is very keen to raise the profile of the town and anything that would help to do that would be a good thing for them, I think“.

Mr Elder answers the scepticism of the Bournemouth residents saying: “I would hope people would see the value and work with us to make a better community rather than criticize and point fingers and say the university doesn’t care. The university does care, but it’s a big job and we need help in making things happen. “There are so many things students bring and it’s quite exciting to be in a town that has that “buzz” with all those students coming in”.