Boscombe is celebrating its second national award in one week.
Days after the resort’s pier was named Pier of the Year, the seafront earned Bournemouth council a top gong for regeneration.
Bournemouth Borough Council took the top ranking at the Local Government Chronicle Awards, announced on Wednesday evening, which rewards the best in local government.
The council was given the prize for demonstrating it has developed an ambitious vision for its area and unlocked the area’s potential.
It also had to provide tangible evidence of how it has improved the wellbeing of the area and its people and had to show how it has “brought together a range of partners to deliver the council’s regeneration goals”.
The Boscombe Spa Village regeneration scheme is helping to transform an economically and socially deprived coastal suburb and re-brand it into a year round 21st century surf lifestyle destination, the award organisers said.
The scheme includes a restored pier, improved public open space, restored Victorian Gardens, beach pods, restaurants, shops, a surf school and Europe’s first artificial surf reef.
Since completion 91 new long term jobs have been created on site, visitor numbers have increased by 32 per cent and incidents of anti-social behaviour down 40 per cent.
The leader of Bournemouth Council, Cllr Stephen MacLoughlin, praised the support of local entrepreneurs who “believed in and invested in the seafront”.
“Anyone who has been to the pier, gardens, prom or Overstrand in the last six months will have seen the changes and felt the amazing unique vibe that is now Boscombe seafront,” he added.
Mark Cribb, owner of the Urban Reef restaurant, said he was “proud” to be associated with Boscombe and the Overstrand development.
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