Bournemouth casino project reduced in size

Bournemouth Council has announced that a casino to be built adjacent to Bournemouth Pavilion will be reduced in size to keep residents happy.

The casino will now have a floor area of 38,100sq ft (3,540sq m), of which 14,900sq ft (1,380sq m) will be for gaming – 16 per cent smaller than planned – while new rooftop walkways and outdoor terraces will be built to make the venue more ‘family-friendly’.

Council leader Stephen MacLoughlin said: “We are making progress in our negotiations with the Trevor Osborne Property Group (TOPG). Their proposed changes are more in line with residents’ desires for family-friendly attractions in Bournemouth.”

Trevor Osborne added: “Public attention on our proposals has been focused on the casino, but this is now primarily a family-friendly, leisure project. The emphasis has changed to providing new restaurants, retail outlets and gardens, and in renovating the historic Pavilion.”

The development will also include an outside performance space, an interval court adjoining the Pavilion and a roof park with sea views.

The developer will spend GBP 13m on restoring the existing Pavilion to its original 1920s grandeur and will enhance the infrastructure to improve the acoustics and audience seating.