That is one of the findings of a report which says there is “more to do” to raise the quality and range of arts available in the town.

A draft cultural strategy, produced for Bournemouth council, notes there is no centre for community arts activities or emerging artists, or venues for medium-scale theatre or regular art house and world cinema screenings.

Its findings come two years after Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra principal conductor Kirill Karabits floated the idea of building a new concert hall to replace the Winter Gardens, saying the prospect could keep him in the post for decades. 

Bournemouth Civic Society has said the draft cultural strategy adds weight to its argument that the former Odeon cinema could be saved for community use. 

An overview of the draft strategy says: “The image of the borough trails behind reality – the borough has more to offer creatives, communities, business, visitors and cultural tourists than the reputation suggests.”

It notes that arts and culture accounts for 0.4 per cent of UK gross domestic product and supports around 260,300 full time equivalent jobs.

It adds: “Culture is not just an add-on, it should be an integral part of what we do, both for its own sake, and for the contribution it makes to learning, health, wellbeing, economic and social regeneration, place making and community cohesion.

"Access to culture is not a privilege, it is a basic human right. It helps us to understand each other, the world around us and our place in it. It helps us define who we are, broadens our horizons and makes us feel alive, special and valued.”

The draft strategy was commissioned from consultant Mark Chandler. The council’s current strategy was published in 2002, before the closure of the Winter Gardens and the arrival of new venues such as Pavilion Dance South West.

Other “gaps” in the cultural scene include the lack of a borough-wide forum to forge partnerships in arts and culture, a comprehensive approach to cultural commissioning and a public art strategy, the report says. 

Bournemouth’s two “super-cinemas” from the 1920s and 1930s, the Odeon and ABC, are now in the ownership of Libra Homes.

Bournemouth Civic Society believes the former Odeon – originally called the Regent – could be saved for community use, despite a restrictive covenant intended to stop any new owner operating it as an arts venue.

Its heritage officer, James Weir, said: "Any excuses for council inaction in working toward this goal are hanging by an ever-thinning thread.”

23 of Bournemouth's cultural assets

It's official (more or less): These are Bournemouth’s cultural assets.

A council report on the town’s draft cultural strategy lists 23 of them.

Or more than 223, if you count the reference to more than 200 listed buildings.

Here’s the list, as contained in a report to Bournemouth Borough Council’s community overview and scrutiny panel:

• Concert venues – Bournemouth International Centre and the O2 Academy
• Pavilion Theatre
• Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
• Pavilion Dance South West
• Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum
• The prom
• Lower, Central and Upper Gardens
• Chine Gardens
• Over 200 listed buildings including three Grade I listed churches – St Peter’s, St Clement’s and St Stephen’s
• The annual Arts by the Sea Festival
• The Old School House by the Sea [co-working space in former school at Boscombe]
• Shelley Theatre
• Substantial body of public art, both historic and contemporary
• Network of libraries and related library services in the town centre and neighbourhoods
• Poet laureate
• Wave & Soundstorm [music education agency at Ensbury Park]
• Activate Performing Arts [organisation developing “dance, theatre and outdoor celebratory opportunities”]
• Bournemouth Emerging Arts Fringe [multi-art form festival]
• Arts University Bournemouth “including public gallery that promotes contemporary art”
• Factory Studios [studio space in Boscombe]
• Network of community centres in neighbourhoods
• Commercial cinemas
• Heritage strategy