Royal London House: New plans for landmark Bournemouth block

KFC left the ground floor of the building Royal London House at Lansdowne Roundabout, Lansdowne, in July 2022. 

And although a planning application doesn’t include development of that vacant unit, developer Royal London House Limited is looking to convert the upper floors. 

Plans include the redevelopment of the second floor from co-working office space to 10 one-bedroom holiday flats. 

Floors three to six will remain as holiday accommodation, agent Pure Town Planning said. 

Meanwhile, floor seven’s original hospitality space would become five two-bedroom residential flats and the top floor is planned to be for hospitality, potentially a bar or restaurant or event space. 

Royal London House (Image: Daily Echo)

Neil McKeon, associate director at Pure Town Planning and chartered town planner, said in a report: “The proposed scale and appearance of the building is unchanged from the existing structure.  

“Due to the lack of change in this regard, the scale and appearance of Royal London House will continue to represent an attractive building on this prominent corner site – thereby continuing to contribute positively to the character and appearance of the town centre.” 

Each holiday apartment on the second floor would come with a kitchen, living and dining area with separate bathrooms and bedrooms. 

On the seventh floor, there would be two bedrooms per let. 

Mr McKeon added: “The proposed conversion of the second and seventh floor will contribute to the vitality and viability of the area, catering for a combination of tourists/business people and future residential tenants. 

“The proposed development will result in the development of five new dwellings that will provide much needed accommodation for local people.” 

High rise buildings in Lansdowne (Image: Daily Echo)

Previous proposals lodged in 2019 for 40 flats to be built within the 1950s building have not come to fruition, despite planning consent from BCP Council. 

Royal London House was built in 1955, opened in 1958, and replaced the old Metropole Hotel that was left severely damaged during a German bombing raid by the Luftwaffe in 1943. 

During the raid, the enemy destroyers wrecked 59 buildings and killed 130 people all within the space of five minutes. 

Direct hits on the Metropole and Central hotels took the heaviest toll on human life. Other landmarks which were hit included the Beales, Bobby’s and the Central Hotel and Punshon Church.