Developers unveil plans for new six-storey student flats on fire-damaged Bournemouth site

Developers have announced plans to replace a building damaged by a major fire in Bournemouth’s town centre.

The fire, which occurred in August 2020 on Holdenhurst Road at the junction with Cotlands Road, Lansdowne, destroyed several flats and businesses. Firefighters spent around 10 hours battling the blaze, though the cause of the fire remains undetermined despite an investigation.

Poole-based developer Fortitudo is leading the redevelopment effort and plans to partially demolish the damaged structure to make way for a six-storey student accommodation complex. Initial proposals for a 14-storey building were scaled back following feedback from BCP Council, which deemed the height excessive and inconsistent with the surrounding buildings, despite its proximity to the taller buildings area in Lansdowne’s local plan.

The revised plan includes 79 student studios along with communal spaces such as a bookable kitchen and dining area, study rooms, a common room, and a communal gym. This marks another venture by Fortitudo into the student accommodation sector, following its approval in May for luxurious student flats on Hinton Road in Bournemouth. Rothesay House, as the Hinton Road project is called, is the developer’s first foray into student housing, with a goal of constructing over 1,500 units across the country.

The Holdenhurst Road project is already under construction, with completion expected in time for students to move in for the 2026 academic year. The new accommodation will feature advanced technology aimed at enhancing efficiency and security for residents.