EARLY ideas for a new walkway which would change how pedestrians, cyclists and traffic moved around Bournemouth town centre have been unveiled.

Caroline Peach and Sophie Leon from Bournemouth Council's Design and Heritage Team gave a presentation about the Grand Garden Walk to members of the Lower Central Gardens Trust Board on Monday.

The path would be a circuit from Bournemouth Square past the Winter Gardens site along Exeter Road to the Pier before heading along Westover Road, Horseshoe Common and back into the town centre.

Caroline Peach, design and heritage manager, said that the aims of the walk were 'improving the performance of our shopping area, better connecting the beach and gardens, better serving cyclists and pedestrians, reducing congestion and improving the public realm.'

She said that as part of the Town Centre Vision, an area action plan was prepared, which has been adopted by the council and touches on a few key areas including the Grand Garden Walk.

Other ideas mentioned as part of the walk include widening the pavements on Exeter Road and Gervis Place, introducing cycle lanes or a contraflow system on Westover Road and installing more crossings for pedestrians in the area.

Different street furniture and the use of trees and art work, along with a ribbon painted along the route for people to follow from start to finish, were included in the ideas.

Sophie Leon, urban design officer at Bournemouth Council, said: "Some of the problems that pedestrians face include that there's a lot of clutter, a lot of railings and lack of pedestrian crossings where you might need them and roundabouts that can be quite intimidating and difficult to cross as a pedestrian.

"These are some of the problems that we are hoping to tackle with the creation of this route."