Fresh questions are being asked over BCP Council’s decision to hand a major Poole housing scheme to a developer already facing financial pressure — as a key report into Carter’s Quay continues to be kept from the public.
The report, discussed behind closed doors by BCP Council’s Audit and Governance Committee on 28 May, has not been released despite councillors describing the matter as being of “immense public interest”.
At the centre of the controversy is Carter’s Quay, the long-delayed waterfront development in Poole where 161 new homes were promised but have never been delivered.
BCP Council paid £15 million in 2021 to Inland Homes for the scheme — despite growing concerns at the time around the developer’s financial position.
Inland Homes had purchased the land for £9.9 million, meaning the council paid significantly more for the site as part of the deal.
The development was due to be completed by the end of 2024, but the project collapsed into uncertainty when Inland Homes entered administration in October 2023 — leaving the site unfinished and taxpayers exposed.
The council is still in negotiations with administrators as it attempts to recover value from the deal.
Critics say the latest decision to withhold the report only adds to concerns over transparency and accountability — particularly around what checks were carried out before BCP entered into the £15 million agreement.
Councillors have previously sought greater detail on the timeline leading up to the purchase and whether warning signs around Inland Homes’ finances were fully considered.
At the committee meeting, chair Cllr Eleanor Connolly said publishing the report now could impact ongoing negotiations over the council’s rights to the land.
But not all councillors were convinced.
Cllr Joe Salmon said:
“This is a matter with immense public interest. I feel incredibly uncomfortable deciding to restrict a matter involving millions of pounds of public money being lost, and we are being asked to restrict the whole thing.”
Cllr Michael Tarling added:
“For me there is nothing in here commercially that is an issue, but there is a legally privileged aspect to this.”
Cllr Stephen Bartlett also voiced concern, saying:
“I have never actually been in a meeting before where I am being told we cannot publish the information. That has always been left for the committee to decide.”
With millions of pounds of public money tied up in the scheme and no homes completed, Carter’s Quay remains one of BCP Council’s most controversial regeneration decisions.
The unanswered question for many residents remains whether the warning signs around Inland Homes were there all along — and why the council proceeded with the deal regardless.
