Decision day for proposed Boscombe £3m coastal activity park

CIVIC leaders meet today to decide whether or not to forge ahead with plans for a £3million coastal activity park at Boscombe Beach.

If built, the park would be the first of its kind in the UK and offer a “vigorous activity programme for children and adults.”

The attraction, boasting an outdoor public gym/trim trail and commercial dive centre, is part of Bournemouth’s ambitious plans to create a world-class seafront.

Bournemouth Borough Council cabinet members will discuss the proposal at the Town Hall this morning.

A report prepared for members by Mark Broderick, of the council’s programme and project management office, describes the proposal as an integral part of the National Coastal Tourism Academy.

It added: “The Coastal Activity Park will provide an innovative year-round, all-weather attraction based around the Bourne-mouth/Boscombe seafront.

“It will be designed for all, from elite sports people, developing athletes, new to sport, tourists and families.

“The main points of focus will be improving tourism and working with other services within Bournemouth Borough Council to expand on sports, leisure and arts projects and healthy-lifestyle projects.”

If given the go-ahead, the park will provide a host of activities including leisure snorkelling, a try-dive facility, beach areas for sport, an open water canoe programme and discovery trail, children’s activities, arts/music trail and beach lifeguard training programmes.

“The project will include schools, youth groups, disability target groups and contribute towards healthy lifestyle agendas and the GP referral scheme delivery,” stated the report.

It added: “There will be recreation offers for all to access – such as a family area near Urban Reef with swing ball, table tennis and children’s play equipment.

“We aim to make most activities inclusive and accessible to all.”

Comments(40)

Lord Spring says...
10:30am Wed 19 Dec 12

Go on some suggest something like a !

Old Colonial says...
10:31am Wed 19 Dec 12

Any chance of being able to just go down to the beach and enjoy the sand, sea, air, and the views in peace?

Tig says...
10:35am Wed 19 Dec 12

I want to say it but I mustn't!

ILoveBoscombe says...
10:39am Wed 19 Dec 12

Well it sounds good to me

Tig says...
10:40am Wed 19 Dec 12

Old Colonial wrote:
Any chance of being able to just go down to the beach and enjoy the sand, sea, air, and the views in peace?
Of course not. We want more and more and more people to come into the area. Poole Council also has plans afoot to spoil the beaches, all in the name of 'improvements' of course.

jinglebell says...
10:40am Wed 19 Dec 12

£3 million on top of the £12.5 million for the surf reef; the pier, beach huts etc. etc. ........and sod all for Central Boscombe....nice one Councillors....hope your decision keeps the many poor families in Boscombe, and the dying businesses happy over Christmas ....

fantasanta says...
10:41am Wed 19 Dec 12

so another £3 million quid , do they never learn ? who is this for the benefit of ?
the surf reef was used by 10 people so they got £300,000 each spent on them .why dont they put this facility in the very underused Kings Park , where there will now be a nice new car park and there is already tons of space .
no one is going to use a a facility that they cant park near and its at the bottom of the steepest hill in the area ! do this council ever think things through ?
you cant go near the water because of the deteriorating failed surf reef , this should be put out to local referendum , this obsession with cleaning up the image of Boscombe , needs to start nearer the railway lines and south from there ,never mind congregating everthing around the worlds dullest crumbling wreck of a pier .

fantasanta says...
10:42am Wed 19 Dec 12

so another £3 million quid , do they never learn ? who is this for the benefit of ?
the surf reef was used by 10 people so they got £300,000 each spent on them .why dont they put this facility in the very underused Kings Park , where there will now be a nice new car park and there is already tons of space .
no one is going to use a a facility that they cant park near and its at the bottom of the steepest hill in the area ! do this council ever think things through ?
you cant go near the water because of the deteriorating failed surf reef , this should be put out to local referendum , this obsession with cleaning up the image of Boscombe , needs to start nearer the railway lines and south from there ,never mind congregating everthing around the worlds dullest crumbling wreck of a pier .

live-and-let-live says...
11:02am Wed 19 Dec 12

f built, the park would be the first of its kind in the UK and offer a “vigorous activity programme for children and adults.”

of course, there will be an entrance fee which families with several children will be unable to afford.

Tom 'Boscombe' Jones says...
11:12am Wed 19 Dec 12

Watch this money disappear over 3 years in a cynical effort to keep a few decision makers out of the bankruptcy courts, it will not be a sustainable venture.This will do sod all to help Boscombe, I for one am getting really fed up with this fat cat attitude of this rogue council that doesn't care a fig for the views of the electorate.

Dont drop litter says...
11:21am Wed 19 Dec 12

Tig wrote:
Old Colonial wrote:
Any chance of being able to just go down to the beach and enjoy the sand, sea, air, and the views in peace?
Of course not. We want more and more and more people to come into the area. Poole Council also has plans afoot to spoil the beaches, all in the name of 'improvements' of course.
Why can't they just leave the place alone? Must everything be buried under concrete or covered in toys to entertain the imaginations of holiday makers? Doesn't anyone think that if a family travels here from some concrete tower block city that just the sand and sea would be enough?
Keep the £3million and put it towards repairing the dual carriageway.

Dont drop litter says...
11:23am Wed 19 Dec 12

Dear Bournemouth Echo, please forward all of these commets to the Council. Hopefully they will learn something about what the people of the town really want / need.

BmthNewshound says...
11:38am Wed 19 Dec 12

Another vanity project which will fail. How on earth can an outdoor facility be described as an all-year all-weather attraction ?
.
The government are about to announce further cuts to local government spending and Bournemouth response is to squander another £3m on Boscombe.
.
Which Elite sports people and developing athletes have said they'll come to Boscombe to use the facilities ?.
.
This is just another big con, Just like the overpriced surf pod/beach huts the Council paid Hemingway to design which failed to attract new visitors and were priced out of reach for local people.
.
This is the surf reef fiasco all over again.

beachcomber1 says...
11:42am Wed 19 Dec 12

Old Colonial wrote:
Any chance of being able to just go down to the beach and enjoy the sand, sea, air, and the views in peace?
seconded. they have already put permanent beach volleyball courts along the front. leave the beach alone so people can actually go on it.

beachcomber1 says...
11:46am Wed 19 Dec 12

furthermore, when was this ever put out for public consultation? cannot recall anything about this before.

mysticalshoelace says...
11:59am Wed 19 Dec 12

Oh god, not more concrete! If they want to improve the beach and bring in more tourists they should rebuild the ugly 1970's piers, get rid of all the tat and remove several million tonnes of concrete to make the place look more natural.

Lord Spring says...
12:00pm Wed 19 Dec 12

beachcomber1 wrote:
furthermore, when was this ever put out for public consultation? cannot recall anything about this before.
Public Consultation is like discussing something with Brian Clough.
"I listen to your point and then decide I was right in the first place"

Holdenhurst says...
12:14pm Wed 19 Dec 12

beachcomber1 wrote:
Old Colonial wrote:
Any chance of being able to just go down to the beach and enjoy the sand, sea, air, and the views in peace?
seconded. they have already put permanent beach volleyball courts along the front. leave the beach alone so people can actually go on it.
Seven miles of beach and you're complaining that 200 or 300 yards of it are taken up by some beach volleyball courts?

myengland says...
12:16pm Wed 19 Dec 12

£3 million for beach front improvements when the rest of Boscombe is in the sewer ,drugs,drink the streets arent safe after dark ,let's be honest there not safe in the day drug deals done in the open drinking openly done anywere ,fights the place is like a war zone but the council in there ivory towers don't see this ,swingball anyone

beachcomber1 says...
12:37pm Wed 19 Dec 12

Holdenhurst wrote:
beachcomber1 wrote:
Old Colonial wrote:
Any chance of being able to just go down to the beach and enjoy the sand, sea, air, and the views in peace?
seconded. they have already put permanent beach volleyball courts along the front. leave the beach alone so people can actually go on it.
Seven miles of beach and you're complaining that 200 or 300 yards of it are taken up by some beach volleyball courts?
walofs so why didn't they put them out by hengistbury head then? it's in a prime location, and covering a bit of beach that they actually bothered to clear of stones from the botched replenishment.

leave the most frequented main areas clear, and not cover them over with "facilities" catering for the minority.

BourneRed says...
1:00pm Wed 19 Dec 12

There isn't really enough information in the article to understand the whole proposal and come to a logical conclusion is there more information somewhere?

freedom for pokesdown says...
1:01pm Wed 19 Dec 12

A 'commercial dive center' ??? Exactly HOW is the largely deserted, flat sandy seabed around Bournemouth going to tempt people away from the clearer water, much more abundant life, rocky coastline and wreck-diving of the Purbecks?

They are doing it AGAIN! Someone's been promised £3 million of public money for Christmas and, once again we'll get nothing for it.

BTW - we've got canoes already. The 'heritage trail' is a pathetic idea and people already exercise on the prom. They don't need signs and white lines to tell them where to do it (and at council prices, signs and white lines is pretty much all you can expect).

Mr Mo says...
1:06pm Wed 19 Dec 12

"Will somebody please think of the children!"

fantasanta says...
1:28pm Wed 19 Dec 12

Mr Mo wrote:
"Will somebody please think of the children!"
there are no children , we cant afford them and they abuse the facilities . Bournemouth should ban children and anyone who dares to bring them here , take your scrotes to Margate .
why are we trying to contain everyone in Boscombe when the Purbecks offers all of this and more , leave our beaches alone ,if you must waste £3 million pounds give it to me i will do it professionally and give a lot of fun to a lot of people for about 4 weeks in the height of summer , no problem

jobsworthwatch says...
2:02pm Wed 19 Dec 12

Can our 'civic leaders' hear the community alarm bells ringing I wonder?

In order to create to a 'world-class seafront' in our northerly climes they should first set about deciding how they intend to control the weather!

Another tourist folly must be avoided at all costs!.

jinglebell says...
3:54pm Wed 19 Dec 12

I'm staggered that so very much money is to be spent by the Council without even consulting .....yet again ....with the locals.
When you think that the Shelley Theatre is still not open yet it would only cost (if I remember correctly) £500K to complete the refurbishment.....an
d worse still the Boscombe Centre for Community and Arts (BCCA) would only cost £75K!!! ...to throw £3 million more at the beach is vile and criminal.
Both these venues could bring tourists up to the high street and give us all more trade, which would mean sorely needed jobs.
I find the arrogance to ignore our community staggering....and while so many Councillors and others who could do something either sit on their hands or say, "Well I can't upset the council because they might make life difficult for me" we all have to suffer.
Cameron is right "we are all in this together" but the other lot that make decisions and allow them to happen are in another group "all in together" right up to their stinking necks....where there's muck there's money.

billez says...
5:03pm Wed 19 Dec 12

I don't see what the problem is and why everyone is so negative. OK, the reef has been damaged by idiots in boats driving over it but the area HAS been improved and invested in by the private sector. As for concreting over things, how much do they think could be done with £3m? There are already successful activities during the summer and this will simply expand those activities and co-ordinate them.

fantasanta says...
5:42pm Wed 19 Dec 12

billez wrote:
I don't see what the problem is and why everyone is so negative. OK, the reef has been damaged by idiots in boats driving over it but the area HAS been improved and invested in by the private sector. As for concreting over things, how much do they think could be done with £3m? There are already successful activities during the summer and this will simply expand those activities and co-ordinate them.
because its another £3m and its not for everybody , i havent been to Boscombe beach 10 times in 30 years ,theres nothing there, you cant park and nothing about this proposal is attractive to me .
i dont believe any part of the boat strike story regarding the reef but damaged or not it didnt work ,it was in the wrong place and it was unuseable and for an exclusive few ,thats not a public amenity

wonderway says...
6:56pm Wed 19 Dec 12

every one of the councilors should be fire straight away ....................
... this bunch of idiots run heingsbury head activity center into the ground quarter of this money was needed to upgrade this facility but no they leased it out to brockenhurst college they are a bunch of idiots if they think this amount of money is needed to run this type of facility mark smiths idea i expect as the reef is un safe to surf on its unsafe to snorkel on when are some one going to stop this bunch of morons spending tax payers money on projects that have no foundation or governance will be asking these question in cambers

Mr Mo says...
7:55pm Wed 19 Dec 12

fantasanta wrote:
billez wrote:
I don't see what the problem is and why everyone is so negative. OK, the reef has been damaged by idiots in boats driving over it but the area HAS been improved and invested in by the private sector. As for concreting over things, how much do they think could be done with £3m? There are already successful activities during the summer and this will simply expand those activities and co-ordinate them.
because its another £3m and its not for everybody , i havent been to Boscombe beach 10 times in 30 years ,theres nothing there, you cant park and nothing about this proposal is attractive to me .
i dont believe any part of the boat strike story regarding the reef but damaged or not it didnt work ,it was in the wrong place and it was unuseable and for an exclusive few ,thats not a public amenity
So fantasanta "because its not for everybody" what an imbecilic comment! Then who for then? Everybody else? Somebody? Nobody? Or maybe we should cater to people like yourself for instance, grown men that live with their parents, while bravely spouting their negativity behind their laptop...oh yes you want a referendum, problem with that is, well, people like you get a vote...

hrryseccombe says...
12:59am Thu 20 Dec 12

If this is approved It needs close scrutiny, its wide open for abuse. I have heard of no public consultations with regard to this project, just spin.

Bob49 says...
1:09am Thu 20 Dec 12

billez wrote:
I don't see what the problem is and why everyone is so negative. OK, the reef has been damaged by idiots in boats driving over it but the area HAS been improved and invested in by the private sector. As for concreting over things, how much do they think could be done with £3m? There are already successful activities during the summer and this will simply expand those activities and co-ordinate them.
You don't seriously think anyone believes that old twaddle do you ? The wretched reef was falling apart long before the story of the imaginary boat strike was ever conjured up. If you are to try and continue a lie billez, at least have the sense to stick to the original lie

Successful activities ? What like dodge the tumbleweed, hunt the bit of sandy beach left ?

Anyone trusting the council to deliver on what is being proposed are being extemely niave. Virtually none of the original remit for Boscombe seafront was delivered. No family attractions, no huge oiazza, no entertainment on the pier, nor upmarket cafes, shops on the pier head,

Nothing but a massive overspend and a loss of over £2m on the surfpods. For what ? A ruddy ghost town, where the public have voted with their feet and gone further along the beach (Southbourne) or simply gone elsewhere.

The volleyball posts have recently had to been taken down as theY were falling over due to the beach being so badly eroded. The unsightly mess around the overflow pipe is about the only attraction down there, as the few kids that are down there in the summer have little else to do. The beach is now full of pebbles/shingle and there are warning signs everywhere to keep out of the water.

What happened to the much vaunted surf festival ? Or the 10,000 surf visitors per year enjoying the 'new Sandbanks' ?

They failed. Just as ASR failed to repair the reef - their eXcuse being that bad weather continuously stopped any work. So how come this bad weather is not going to stop all these proposed idiocies ?

This is no more than another attempt at re-marketing the Barrett second home complex, which if anyone cares to check will find that many are still unsold and those that were sold have seen their prices plummet.

Perhaps Barretts are calling in a few 'favours' (why they should be able to do this is anybodies guess)..

fantasanta says...
2:23am Thu 20 Dec 12

Mr Mo wrote:
fantasanta wrote:
billez wrote:
I don't see what the problem is and why everyone is so negative. OK, the reef has been damaged by idiots in boats driving over it but the area HAS been improved and invested in by the private sector. As for concreting over things, how much do they think could be done with £3m? There are already successful activities during the summer and this will simply expand those activities and co-ordinate them.
because its another £3m and its not for everybody , i havent been to Boscombe beach 10 times in 30 years ,theres nothing there, you cant park and nothing about this proposal is attractive to me .
i dont believe any part of the boat strike story regarding the reef but damaged or not it didnt work ,it was in the wrong place and it was unuseable and for an exclusive few ,thats not a public amenity
So fantasanta "because its not for everybody" what an imbecilic comment! Then who for then? Everybody else? Somebody? Nobody? Or maybe we should cater to people like yourself for instance, grown men that live with their parents, while bravely spouting their negativity behind their laptop...oh yes you want a referendum, problem with that is, well, people like you get a vote...
sorry did you have a point to make or did i miss it ?
the surf reef was for surfers , well no good to me ,i dont do surfing and surfers when they are out are at Bournemouth pier ,so that was in the wrong place .
this new toy is what exactly , if you dont want to spend your day trying to dive / drown whilst exploring an outlet pipe in the dark murky waters off boscombe pebble beach it doesnt really offer much and who is going to run it ? adventure trails and whatever nonsense is all avalible along the coast and on brownsea island . it sounds to like its all about getting a little bit of activity going to help sell few beach pods and satisfy the businesses that set up there with great expectation of the surf reef and the wonderful and totally deserted pier , perhaps time to finish the rubbish that is already started before embarking on another spending spree

Molecatcher says...
8:42am Thu 20 Dec 12

It's another opportunity for a 'snout in a trough' isn't it?... Of course it is...

Fantasanta - Kings Park... underused... Nahhhh... If you own a dog it isn't. King's Park is without a doubt the dog s**t capital of the South.

fantasanta says...
3:30pm Thu 20 Dec 12

Molecatcher wrote:
It's another opportunity for a 'snout in a trough' isn't it?... Of course it is...

Fantasanta - Kings Park... underused... Nahhhh... If you own a dog it isn't. King's Park is without a doubt the dog s**t capital of the South.
all the more reason to squeeze the dog owners out of it . the lengths some people will go to ,to avoid picking up the mess their pets leave is amazing ,out in the rain at two in the morning , why have a dog if you cant comply with the law and hygene , how would they feel if someone used their garden as a toilet i wonder ?

O'Reilly says...
8:56pm Thu 20 Dec 12

Would it be too much to ask our councillors to adhere to the 7 P's :- Proper Prior Planning Prevents P*ss Poor Performance..... before embarking on any further grandiose schemes?

nottingham says...
10:51pm Thu 20 Dec 12

No more white elephants. I wouldn't trust BBC with a pair of pants never mind £3m. Just look at the surf reef fiasco and the IMAX this has cost us all a fortune

ashleycross says...
9:09pm Sat 22 Dec 12

Boscombe needs the corner shops and supermarkets to stop selling alcohol to people who are already wasted, as this is a condition of any off licence not to do this, and then it will become a pleasant place to be instead of a somewhere with a lot of unrealised potential held back by **** footing around over what to do about the 24/7 public drunkenness that deters most people from even visiting the area. Spending money on facilities won't get over the problem of people being scared to walk down the street there even in daylight.

x_Rosie_x says...
9:23am Mon 24 Dec 12

I think it's a great way of getting people more interested in the beach! We need to make the most of the resources we have and it is something for kids to do to prevent them getting bored! As long as it has sustainability the project could be a huge boost to the area and maybe even get people involved in some conservation!

Goldbar says...
11:09pm Tue 25 Dec 12

spend the £3 million on buying up & flattening the druggie, alchy and wrongun infested bedsits would do more for Boscombe

click2find

About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree