PLANS to close part of Bournemouth town centre to traffic may come into effect as early as September.

As reported in the Daily Echo, proposals to pedestrianise the roads surrounding Beales were revealed in May.

Under the £3m scheme, as part of a formal public consultation period, year-long experimental traffic orders will be implemented on Yelverton Road and Albert Road to turn them into cul-de-sacs.

This means the one-way system being scrapped and both roads closing before their junctions with Old Christchurch Road.

And the area known as Beale Place – the stretch of Hinton Road outside Beales – will be closed to traffic altogether.

Councillors at Bournemouth council's environment and transport overview and scrutiny panel meeting, which took place on Thursday, July 14, have now voted to support the scheme.

Richard Pearson, highway and road safety manager for the council, told councillors that the proposals could revive a "tired and downtrodden" area of the town.

"Beale Place could be transformed into a public space - almost a public square," he said.

"For our consultation document, we had 162 responders, and 79 per cent were very keen on the proposal."

Designers plan to lay granite paving over the current road surface and even build a 'mini auditorium', which Mr Pearson suggested could be used by local theatre groups and artists.

Bosses at Beales have also called for a new area of canopy to be built nearby to shelter shoppers in bad weather.

Mr Pearson said shoppers would have a "seamless pedestrian experience" as a result of the changes.

It is likely that the experimental traffic order will come into force in September if final approval is given.

It will be in place for at least a year before discussions take place over whether it is to be made permanent.

Councillor Robert Chapman said he has been campaigning for such changes for many years.

"I cannot see anything to criticise in it at all," he said.

However, Cllr John Trickett said he was concerned about parking for disabled people.

Mr Pearson acknowledged that such spaces are likely to be further away from the town centre.

Cllr Trickett said: "One of the prerequisites of getting a blue badge is that you can only walk a limited distance.

"It's a real problem if you've got disabled bays but they're too far from the pedestrianised area."

Cllr Michael Filer said he was "100 per cent" supportive of the scheme, but added: "Are you able to make the area in such a way that it is a special area, not just because of parking or no parking, but to be able to have an order to stop people coming along and drawing on the floors or begging or playing music?"

Mr Pearson said he would consult with the town centre team.

"I agree with you completely," he said, adding that the "quality" of some buskers is "probably detrimental" to the area.