Richard Carr reveals plans for new 85-bedroom hotel to replace Haven Hotel in Sandbanks

Plans are taking shape for a new 85-bedroom hotel on the site of the Haven Hotel in Sandbanks, with developer Richard Carr back in the running for the landmark waterfront site.

An application has been submitted to BCP Council seeking prior approval for the demolition of the existing Haven Hotel. The application was submitted by Planning Strategy LTD, a business of which Richard Carr is a director.
The proposed demolition forms part of a new approach to the site following a nine-year planning process surrounding plans for a wider £300 million development across three Sandbanks hotels; the Sandbanks Hotel, Haven Hotel and Harbour Heights Hotel.

If the demolition plans are approved, a further application is expected for a brand-new 85-bedroom hotel on the site.

The proposed hotel is planned to be energy efficient and designed with environmental considerations in mind. It could potentially retain the Haven Hotel name.

The existing Haven Hotel building is understood to be approaching the end of its natural life, with the steel structure having suffered erosion. The cost of running the existing building has also been cited as a factor behind the plans for its replacement.

Richard Carr has also confirmed that the original ideas for the Sandbanks Hotel are expected to be resubmitted in the future.

The latest plans come after the original wider development proposal was determined to be invalid. The Sandbanks Community Group, which opposed the previous proposals, has raised concerns about the demolition of the Haven Hotel taking place before detailed plans for its replacement have been approved.

The group has also developed an alternative vision for the wider site over the past five years, working alongside Gumuchdjian Architects. The proposals include a public esplanade providing continued access to the beaches, improvements to the public realm and protection of mature trees.

Further details of Richard Carr's proposed 85-bedroom replacement hotel are expected to emerge when the new planning application is submitted.

The Haven Hotel has occupied its prominent position overlooking Poole Harbour and Sandbanks for decades, making any plans for its future a significant development for the area.