Poole Town Council wants to retain the mayoral section of the former Poole Civic Centre as the sale of the Grade II listed building moves forward.
The former Borough of Poole headquarters has been empty since 2022 and stopped operating as a civic centre after BCP Council was formed in 2019.
BCP Council has approved the sale of the building to Manchester-based MCR Property Group for an expected £5.25 million.
Councillors voted 33 to 21 in favour of accepting the offer, with two abstentions. An amendment to delay the sale until October was rejected by 28 votes to 24.
The local authority expects to save £228,000 a year through the transaction, while the wider redevelopment of the site is expected to support BCP Council’s housing targets.
The decision includes discussions with Poole Town Council over lease terms for a retained section of the building known as the “vertical slice”.
The area spans four floors of the civic offices and includes the mayor’s parlour, the Cattistock Room and the council chamber.
Poole Town Council is now looking at options to retain the space, which could potentially be used for meetings and community events.
A document from October 2025 set the proposed rent for the vertical slice at £451,435 per year.
Xena Dion, leader of the Poole Reform Group, said: “We need to set up some meetings with the people that actually have the influence in that.
“Poole Civic Centre is so precious to the people of Poole, and it is very precious to me personally.
“Wouldn’t it be great if we could buy it, for goodness sake, but we will seek to meet with the assets management team at BCP and see what the current status is and see how we can actually influence the clause about maintaining the vertical slice.
“It should actually raise money for us. So many community groups could use that for meetings and events, it is a great place to have events.”
It is understood the sale of Poole Civic Centre has not yet been completed.
