Block Management in Poole
Tidal flooding left Shore Road under four feet of water in places in 2014.
Poole's RMCs, RTM companies and freeholders can appoint Plymouth Block Management for block, estate and leasehold management, from harbourside blocks to the Sandbanks coast. Poole is one of only two BCP areas needing a Level 2 flood risk assessment, and the Poole Bridge to Hunger Hill scheme will protect 573 properties now. Radon reads the lowest band, though basements and undercroft car parks deserve caution.
What We Would Put First for a Block in Poole
Review Flood Cover for Harbourside Blocks
BCP records harbour flooding in March 2008, December 2012 and February 2014, when Shore Road was under four feet of water in places. For a harbourside block we would review flood cover and claims history at each renewal and register for warnings.
InsuranceTreat Basement Plant Rooms as a Radon Question
The national map excludes basements, cellars and underground sites, and some Poole Quay squares have no data. For a quayside block with an undercroft car park or basement plant room we would recommend radon measurement in that space.
ComplianceCheck the External Wall on Taller Blocks
Sterte Court's two ten-storey council blocks needed a 3.8 million pound re-cladding after a system completed in 2015 failed on workmanship. For a taller block we would commission a fire risk assessment that takes in the external wall.
Fire risk assessmentsSeek Permission for Branksome Park Boundaries
Since April 1993 a direction in and around the Branksome Park conservation area has required planning permission for a gate, wall or other enclosure on a highway frontage. We would obtain it before specifying boundary repairs.
ConsentsManaging a Block in Poole at a Glance
- Local authority
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council
- Authority type
- Unitary
- Building control
- BCP Council Building Control
- County
- Dorset
- Fire and rescue service
- Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service
- Water and sewerage
- Bournemouth Water or Wessex Water for supply depending on the address, with Wessex Water for sewerage
- From our Plymouth office
- Approx. 123 miles by road, a planned journey rather than a casual one
- Setting
- Coastal
What It Costs to Move a Block in Poole to Us
Management is a fixed annual fee, quoted for the building and agreed before we start. We take no commission and no third-party incentives, so the fee is the whole of what we earn from the building. Taking a block on carries a one-off start-up fee, set by size:
| Block size | Fee |
|---|---|
| Start-up fee, up to 10 units | £420.00 |
| Start-up fee, up to 25 units | £540.00 |
| Start-up fee, 50 units and above | £660.00 |
Taken from our published Additional Services price list, PBM Form #01-27 rev.6, effective 23 June 2025. All fees quoted are inclusive of VAT. See the full price list and how a handover works.
One of Only Two BCP Areas Needing Level 2 Assessment
Poole's flood risk is tidal, and material enough that Poole is one of only two BCP areas requiring a Level 2 flood risk assessment. The council records a history of coastal flooding in the harbour, with key events in March 2008, December 2012 and February 2014, when Shore Road was under four feet of water in places. Modelling shows a risk of defences being outflanked in a 1 in 1000 year event today, and that by the 2138 epoch the consequences of a flood would be extreme. The Poole Bridge to Hunger Hill scheme was due to complete in June 2026. It will protect 573 properties now and over 2,000 by 2110, with Poole Quay planned to be defended to 3.6 metres by 2093. For harbourside blocks, flood cover and claims history should be reviewed at each insurance renewal.
Almost a Third of Poole Households Live in Flats
At the 2021 Census 20,530 households in the Poole built-up area, 31.5 per cent, were in a flat, maisonette or apartment. That is above the England figure of 22.2 per cent but well below Bournemouth's 50.7. Nearly a third of Poole households therefore rely on shared arrangements for building insurance, repairs and compliance.
Europe's Largest Natural Harbour, by the Council's Description
Poole Harbour, described by BCP Council as Europe's largest natural harbour, plus the Sandbanks and Canford Cliffs open coast. Blocks on the harbour edge and open coast face salt-laden air, so metalwork, render and window frames need shorter maintenance cycles.
Metalwork is where coastal exposure shows up first and costs most. The standards put a high-salinity coastal atmosphere in category C5-M, losing over 80 micrometres of steel in year one against 1.3 to 25 inland, so railings, balustrades and fixings on a Poole block are surveyed more often and the reserve fund is modelled on the findings.
Three Grade I Buildings in the Old Town Heritage Area
Poole designations within BCP's 48 include Sandbanks, Branksome Park and Chine Gardens, Canford Cliffs Village, Evening Hill, Poole Park, The Avenue, Ashley Cross and the Town Centre Heritage area. The Old Town was the first designated in the town, in 1974. For a block in any of these areas, external works need a planning check before they are specified.
The Town Centre Heritage conservation area in the Old Town contains three Grade I listed buildings and eleven Grade II*, including the Church of St James, the Guildhall and the Custom House. A block in the Old Town should have its own listing status and that of its neighbours confirmed before external works are specified.
Lowest Band, but Basements and Quayside Gaps Need Care
The national radon map places the civic centre and Sandbanks in the lowest band, under one per cent, so Poole is not in an Affected Area. Some harbour-edge squares, including at Poole Quay, have no data at all, and a missing square is not a low reading. The map also excludes basements, cellars and underground sites, which should be treated as having an increased chance of high radon regardless of location. That bears directly on undercroft and basement car parks and basement plant rooms in quayside blocks, where measurement is the sensible course.
Talbot Village HMO Limits and Branksome Park Boundary Controls
An Article 4 direction covering Talbot Village has removed the permitted development right to convert a dwellinghouse to a small house in multiple occupation since 1 May 2013, and Policy PP14 refuses such changes where more than 10 per cent of dwellings within 100 metres are already in that use. A separate direction in and around the Branksome Park conservation area has since April 1993 required planning permission for the erection, alteration or improvement of a gate, wall or other means of enclosure along a highway frontage. The rest of Poole has no HMO direction.
What Else Changes About Managing a Block in Poole
- Sterte Court, two council-owned ten-storey blocks of 114 flats, needed a 3.8 million pound re-cladding after a system completed in 2015 failed on workmanship and no longer met building regulations, running a 24-hour waking watch and a full evacuation policy in the meantime.
Tribunal Decisions on Blocks in Poole
Published First-tier Tribunal decisions on named developments here, each read in full. They show what the tribunal expects of whoever runs a block in this area.
| Development | Issue | Decided |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 31 Oyster Bay Apartments, Sterte | Building safety | 10 April 2026 |
| 9, 9A and 9B Chester Road, Branksome Park | Appointment of a manager | 20 July 2026 |
| Castle Hill House, 65 Bournemouth Road | Service charge | 20 May 2026 |
| 211 Orchard Plaza, 412 High Street | Breach of lease | 1 July 2025 |
| 446 to 450a Ashley Road and Victoria Place, Victoria Road | Insurance | 23 October 2025 |
| Imperial Heights, 105 Lilliput Road, Canford Cliffs | Section 20 consultation | 14 August 2024 |
| The Pinnacle, 25 to 27 Banks Road, Sandbanks | Section 20 consultation | 18 September 2023 |
| Flat 4, Forsyte Shades, 82 Lilliput Road | Service charge | 17 February 2021 |
Towns and Villages We Cover Around Poole
Sandbanks, Canford Cliffs, Lilliput, Parkstone, Lower Parkstone, Branksome, Broadstone, Upton, Hamworthy, Creekmoor, Canford Heath.
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Poole Questions
What Will the Poole Bridge to Hunger Hill Scheme Protect?
The scheme was due to complete in June 2026 and will protect 573 properties now and over 2,000 by 2110, with Poole Quay planned to be defended to 3.6 metres by 2093. Modelling shows a risk of defences being outflanked in a 1 in 1000 year event today, and extreme flood consequences by the 2138 epoch.
Does the Talbot Village Article 4 Direction Affect HMO Conversions?
Yes. Since 1 May 2013 it has removed the permitted development right to convert a dwellinghouse to a small house in multiple occupation, and Policy PP14 refuses such changes where more than 10 per cent of dwellings within 100 metres are already in that use. The rest of Poole has no HMO direction.
Is Radon a Concern for a Block in Poole?
Mostly not. The national radon map places the civic centre and Sandbanks in the lowest band, under one per cent, so Poole is not in an Affected Area. Some harbour-edge squares including Poole Quay have no data, which is not a low reading, and basements, cellars and underground sites should be treated as having an increased chance of high radon.
Nearby Areas
Talk to Us About Your Building in Poole.
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