A new urban neighbourhood boasting a thriving hub of public squares, arts and culture, cafes, shops, homes and places to work, all form part of the new transformational plans for the area.

Under the plans by BCP Council to transform Bournemouth as part of the government’s £3.6 billion Towns Fund programme, Gladstone Road and Hawkwood Road would be redeveloped to make way for new family homes.

The Sovereign Shopping Centre would be replaced by a contemporary mixed use neighbourhood of streets and high quality commercial units and homes. There would be a brand new purpose built public square with a dedicated programme of festivals and events. These buildings could boast mixed use commercial, retail, leisure and residential elements.

To preserve and enhance the use of unique heritage assets such as the Royal Arcade and Royal Ballrooms (O2 Academy) the Royal Arcade would be brought back into use by seamlessly combining contemporary new work space, skills and learning as well as arts and culture in this historic yet under used building.

Haviland Road between Palmerston Road (Lidl) and Haviland Road West could be restored as a street with generous pavements, cycle lanes, bus stops and tree planting all leading up to a new community hall and gardens.

Providing better infrastructure to encourage more active travel and improving the links between Boscombe town centre, the seafront, Pokesdown Train Station and AFC Bournemouth could also be funded through the investment.

The plans could also see the council seeking to purchase the Kings Park bowling centre for health and leisure activities, whilst retaining the skills and learning offer at this site.

The proposals could also see the expansion of the smart place pilot currently underway at Lansdowne, helping to attract more businesses and investors to Boscombe and so creating more jobs for local people.

Overall around 560 new homes, 6,700sqm of retail and leisure floor space and 4,800sqm of commercial, community and health floor space have been earmarked as part of the long term plans which aim to strengthen the local economy of Boscombe and revitalise the area as it builds for the future post COVID-19.

Cllr Mark Howell, portfolio holder for Regeneration and Culture, BCP Council, said, “If we win the necessary government funding, these ambitious proposals should realise Boscombe’s potential. The bid development process has shown what can be achieved when we work together with a focus on place-making and with future generations in mind.” 

Bournemouth is one of 101 towns across the UK on track to secure a new ‘Town Deal’ which could see a significant investment of around £25million in each place.  To secure the funding a draft Town Investment Plan for Boscombe and the surrounding area has been drawn up. 

To view the plans and have your say visit bcpcouncil.gov.uk/townsfund.  The consultation will be open until Monday 14 September.