This stunning aerial picture shows how the face of Bournemouth is changing. 

The photo, taken by Stephen Bath, shows off the full extent of a development drive that has seen a series of major building projects given the go-ahead in the last five years. 

On the far left of the picture is the new 14-storey, £60million Hilton Hotel at Terrace Mount. 

The 172-bedroom building, which took two years to complete, overlooks the nearby and fast-growing £50million West Central leisure complex.

This sits on the former bus station site at Exeter Road and when completed will comprise internationally branded restaurants, 10 cinema screens and an array of shops. 

A giant crane beyond the balloon is where a new six-storey block of student flats will be built at the side of the former Royal Mail sorting office on Albert Road.

Just above the BIC, the space left by the demolition of the Punshon Memorial Methodist Church can clearly be seen.

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But this is not the only gap – striking by its absence is the 50ft Imax cinema building. 

Once named as the “worst building in England” on Channel Four show Demolition, the glass and concrete structure towering over the beach was torn down in 2013.

This was just 11 years after it opened and following repeated complaints that it was ugly and blocked the spectacular views of Poole Bay and Purbeck. 

In the top right hand corner of the picture, the £12million Citrus building at Horseshoe Common is clearly visible. 

Constructed by the Bournemouth Development Company (BDC) – a public-private partnership between Morgan Sindall and the council – it contains 64 apartments as well as Turtle Bay restaurant on the ground and first floors. 

And it may well be BDC that has the biggest impact on the town’s future look, with more than a dozen council-owned car parks identified for fresh projects. 

They are already seeking permission to transform the Winter Gardens into a 400-home residential development with accompanying shops and a multi-storey car park at a cost of £102million. 

And on Bath Road South car park, which adjoins the Pavilion, a “cultural quarter” consisting of a hotel, theatre and restaurants is planned, with the council announcing just last month that internationally renowned designers Zaha Hadid Architects had been hired.

The picture was taken by Stephen Bath of Skycab Ltd.

A second image taken by Stephen shows Mudeford Sandspit and Hengistbury Head with Boscombe and Bournemouth Piers far off into the distance. 

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