When you think of Miami Beach, you probably think of sun, cocktails and glamour.
Dorset is probably the last thing you’d think of – but developers in Poole are planning to rival the iconic American destination.
Two Victorian buildings will be torn down and in their stead a ‘superhotel’ will be built under the outlandish plans.
Plans for the Art Deco building will include 175 rooms.
The five-star hotel is set to replace the existing Sandbanks Hotel, an original Victorian building that is apparently ‘at the end of it’s economic life’.
With a provincial estimate of £250 million, the development will be a luxury establishment with curved floors, white painted walls and palm trees in the grounds.
Poole’s award-winning beach will be the centrepiece of the hotel, with another hotel in the area set to be flipped into a 40-suite serviced apartment.
Property developer Richard Carr has brought forward the plans in a bid to upgrade the already plush ‘Millionaire’s Row.’
Mr Carr said: ‘If you went to Palm Beach you would not expect to find hotels that are 100 years old.
‘The Sandbanks Hotel is an old building that is coming to the end of its economic life cycle.
‘No amount of money can put this building right because the rooms are too small and the bathrooms are substandard.
‘It’s common sense that people’s aspirations and needs have changed.
‘The new hotels will be state of the art and provide the facilities that anyone from anywhere in the world would be happy to receive.
‘Sandbanks has a high-class reputation and if people are going to stay there they expect facilities that they would get in top hotels in any major city in the world.
‘People never like change but change has to happen, things have to move on.
‘If it doesn’t happen now it will have to happen in 10 years’ time.’
Mr Carr has drawn up the plans on behalf of FJB Hotels and hopes Poole Borough Council will grant approval within nine months.
Metro.co.uk has contacted the Victorian Society for comment on the planned destruction of the century old buildings.
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