£7m plans for Bournemouth's shopping areas unveiled today

9:00am Wednesday 12th September 2012 in News By Stephen Bailey

A Bournemouth Town Centre Ranger A Bournemouth Town Centre Ranger

PLANS to spend millions of pounds on Bournemouth’s shopping and trading areas will be unveiled today.

Businesses will together spend £7million over five years to attract more customers.

Plans include new PR campaigns, better signs, and smarter streets.

The cash will come from the town centre and coastal Business Improvement Districts (BIDS).

At the official launch, held at the Bournemouth International Centre, more detailed spending plans will be revealed.

Alun Williams, manager of the Coastal BID, said: “We will be announcing a marketing campaign for this autumn and Christmas.”

The Coastal BID will be unveiling support for a new family adventure event in April 2013.

Beales boss Tony Brown, chairman of the town centre BID, and Des Simmons, chairman of the coastal BID, will be outlining the plans.

The six Town Rangers, who are now patrolling, will also be introduced to traders.

They started work last month and the red-jacketed helpers are the most visible face of the BIDs that have been introduced so far.

The coastal BID was passed with 237 votes in favour from 323 cast. The town centre BID was passed with 166 in favour from 200 cast.

Nigel Hedges, president of the chamber, said when it was passed: “We couldn’t even imagine it not going ahead.

“The opportunities that would have been lost – it’s not something we wanted to contemplate.”

Future plans include better signage to shops and car parks and a new website to market the town.

Traders will fund the work through a levy worth 1.5 per cent of their business rates.

Comments(14)

nat-365 says...
9:15am Wed 12 Sep 12

and it would still be rather nice if we had some money to spend - we all know where the shops are we just cant afford the goods thanks to this government . some people would prefer a job to a new dress, there is a vital link missing here

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penhale says...
9:25am Wed 12 Sep 12

Traders will fund the work through a levy worth 1.5 per cent of their business rates.
Just what businesses need.
Rather than spend seven million quid why not just make it easier for people to get their to attract visitors.
Take away all parking charges or vastly reduce them, that wont cost seven million.
Create more parking spaces, that wont cost seven million.
Reduce the tax burden on town center businesses, that wont cost seven million.
Has this council no intelligence, cant they see why out of town malls do so much trade, easy access and free parking is the prime concern.
The internet is also taking trade because there is have no burden of the high rents which shops have to pay from their sales.
Throwing yet more money at this which we don't have is pure stupidity, it will be a waste and wont make any difference, 21st century technology and out of town malls has replaced the town center,councils have over burdened to motorist with sky high parking charges and the shops with high rents and taxes, it's gone too far and there is no turning the clock back now, town centers are finished.

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Afcbpete says...
9:55am Wed 12 Sep 12

You used to be able to park for free around by the Town Hall/gardens, since they've started charging I don't go there anymore. I could park up, nip into a shop/store and away inside an hour. It's tough enough finding the money to spend anyway without shoving some of it into a machine....

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Lord Spring says...
10:02am Wed 12 Sep 12

Plans plans plans

But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promised joy.

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BmthNewshound says...
10:30am Wed 12 Sep 12

More big numbers taken out of context in a bid to make this scheme appear to be one that will make a difference.
.
This equates to £1.4m pa which by the time you've taken out the costs of employing the BID management team (more jobs for the boys), and town rangers and spread the money across the whole of Bournemouth it really won't have much of an impact.
.
Better signage isn't going to attract shoppers - signs to shopping areas where 25% of the shops as reported earlier this week are empty.
.
The BID should be using the money to campaign for lower rents and rates, and put pressure on the Council to reduce parking costs.
.
In Ringwood, you can park in the Waitrose car park in the town centre for two hours for free, In Wimbourne, 2hrs for £1 refunded if you spend £10 at Waitrose. Wesbourne had a sad excuse for a car park refund scheme that has now been scrapped and during the week you can't park as all the parking spaces are taken by staff working at LV= , never was sure was the "=" perhaps its an algebra equation LV = no parking spaces in Westbourne.
.
Bournemouth town centre is dull, dismal and depressing, perhaps the money could be spent brightening it up, getting some street entertainers to replace the big issue sellers and charity chuggers.
.

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penhale says...
10:31am Wed 12 Sep 12

Lord Spring wrote:
Plans plans plans

But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promised joy.
Are you in need of medical attention

Report this post »

nat-365 says...
11:08am Wed 12 Sep 12

penhale wrote:
Lord Spring wrote:
Plans plans plans

But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promised joy.
Are you in need of medical attention
you managed to take the words out of my mouth - this can mean nothing to anybody but the person who wrote it and he could add it to any other comment on here and it would be just as irrelevant

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High Treason says...
11:16am Wed 12 Sep 12

Internet shopping is cheaper even with delivery.
No contest.

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HRH of Boscombe says...
11:20am Wed 12 Sep 12

Typical Bmth. Now they're spending money on rescue rangers.

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robsmith123 says...
11:24am Wed 12 Sep 12

nat-365 wrote:
penhale wrote:
Lord Spring wrote:
Plans plans plans

But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promised joy.
Are you in need of medical attention
you managed to take the words out of my mouth - this can mean nothing to anybody but the person who wrote it and he could add it to any other comment on here and it would be just as irrelevant
a perfect quote from Burns summing up the councils plans. just not appreciated by the ignorant .

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jeebuscripes says...
12:06pm Wed 12 Sep 12

The country's high streets are dying through lack of demand, high rates and the internet.

This initiative is merely a case of rearranging the chairs on The Titanic.

Use the vacant stores for other purposes and move on.

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BIGTONE says...
12:32pm Wed 12 Sep 12

nat-365 wrote:
penhale wrote:
Lord Spring wrote:
Plans plans plans

But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promised joy.
Are you in need of medical attention
you managed to take the words out of my mouth - this can mean nothing to anybody but the person who wrote it and he could add it to any other comment on here and it would be just as irrelevant
It's bad stuff that crack!!!!!


Anyway 7 mill won't go far after the vultures have took their slice out..

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penhale says...
12:47pm Wed 12 Sep 12

robsmith123 wrote:
nat-365 wrote:
penhale wrote:
Lord Spring wrote:
Plans plans plans

But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promised joy.
Are you in need of medical attention
you managed to take the words out of my mouth - this can mean nothing to anybody but the person who wrote it and he could add it to any other comment on here and it would be just as irrelevant
a perfect quote from Burns summing up the councils plans. just not appreciated by the ignorant .
Oh dear, two in need of medical help.

Report this post »

Richard 1976 says...
6:52pm Wed 12 Sep 12

Bet the same Christmas lights for nigh on 20 years go up on old Christchurch road again!

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