Poole 'lacks big tourist attraction' (From Bournemouth Echo)

How about something really brave like providing a French style motor home 'aire' within walking distance of the town?
A barriered entrance with a fee of £8 or so a night, payable by CC with water and toilet emptying facilities.
Canterbury P&R can do it at a cost of £2.50 per night which includes the bus into the city.

At least Poole is more attractive than Bournemouth. A few eyesores on/near the quay but otherwise OK. Don't spoil it.

Surely the harbour, Brownsea Island, Sandbanks and other beaches in Poole and many other natural beauty spots are attraction enough - do we really want Poole turned into another Bournemouth with thier "failed" tourist attractions - IMAX example as one!

I suppose Poole could always consider at least half a dozen developer schemes for multiplex-cinemas, fast food outlets, restaurants and 'family' attractions.
Whilst at the same time spending £10million in local taxpayers money buying the only recently built perfectly sound, but completely empty, example and destroying it.
Works for Bournemouth apparently!

nigglygrilly wrote:
Surely the harbour, Brownsea Island, Sandbanks and other beaches in Poole and many other natural beauty spots are attraction enough - do we really want Poole turned into another Bournemouth with thier "failed" tourist attractions - IMAX example as one!

They are all very nice places that you mention, but from a business perspective footfall is paramount.
How many people can get to Brownsea in an hour?
The parking capacities (and daily costs) from Sandbanks to Branksome are poor.
Another issue is, due to decades of poor road planning has left the entire Bournemouth and Poole conurbation unattractive to any form of development, tourist or otherwise.

So you need an attraction that fleeces tourist with high entry prices and food / drink prices and an exit through a gift shop? I would have thought the beach parking charges would make up for that element.

l'anglais wrote:

nigglygrilly wrote:
Surely the harbour, Brownsea Island, Sandbanks and other beaches in Poole and many other natural beauty spots are attraction enough - do we really want Poole turned into another Bournemouth with thier "failed" tourist attractions - IMAX example as one!

They are all very nice places that you mention, but from a business perspective footfall is paramount.
How many people can get to Brownsea in an hour?
The parking capacities (and daily costs) from Sandbanks to Branksome are poor.
Another issue is, due to decades of poor road planning has left the entire Bournemouth and Poole conurbation unattractive to any form of development, tourist or otherwise.

The question is, should Poole council be running the town for the benefit of businesses, or for the benefit of the people who live there? Bournemouth council lost sight of this years ago, and now look at the place.

No big tourist attraction in Poole? Good. Keeps it nice and lovely just the way we like it..... Grockles in need of something to do can always head off to Alton Towers.

Two glamorous glass towers to replace the sight of Hamworthy power station?

Yes they'll flock to see that won't they, in their cruise ships...

I am sure S & D Leisure might suggest something!

rayc wrote:
How about something really brave like providing a French style motor home 'aire' within walking distance of the town?
A barriered entrance with a fee of £8 or so a night, payable by CC with water and toilet emptying facilities.
Canterbury P&R can do it at a cost of £2.50 per night which includes the bus into the city.

Thats not a bad idea,anyone see any problems with it.

High Treason wrote:
At least Poole is more attractive than Bournemouth. A few eyesores on/near the quay but otherwise OK. Don't spoil it.

Are you having a laugh. I wouldn't walk my dog in Poole.

My idea - get rid of the locals...the High Street resembles some sort of jeremy Kyle show crossed with Zombies most days ? lol

Shall we all go down to Poole park and sniff the lake. Filthy swines.

Or we could pop down and watch that excuse of a lifting bridge brake down.

A museum for the scout movement? Don't make me laugh! Kids are not interested in stuff like that - it's not the 1930's anymore .....

The Petersham Group said at their last event that Poole is not ready for a big attraction.........W
HY?.............Becu
ase the NIMBY residents always go against any change what so ever...... The Council is absolutely nowhere near brave enough to do anything even slightly controversial, because it may cost them the next election.....the gap between Con and Libs is very small and thats why we dont get anything done in Poole..... Up north where there are political strongholds that is where you get the brave and controversial decisions and projects implemented..... one word for Poole Council.... WEAK.......

Flatten brown sea island for a start
it blots out the view of the magnificent purbecks,

Oh I forgot cant do that its got two neutered red squirrels living on there,


There's nothing at brown sea worth looking at

Have you ever been on a beach there, OMG.

What a dump.

Morrigan wrote:
A museum for the scout movement? Don't make me laugh! Kids are not interested in stuff like that - it's not the 1930's anymore .....

Around 400,000 of them are! Suggest you do a bit of research before making sweeping statements.

Check out www.scouts.org.uk. You may get a surprise.

Old Colonial wrote:

Morrigan wrote:
A museum for the scout movement? Don't make me laugh! Kids are not interested in stuff like that - it's not the 1930's anymore .....

Around 400,000 of them are! Suggest you do a bit of research before making sweeping statements.

Check out www.scouts.org.uk. You may get a surprise.

I don't need to look at their website - my neighbour is a Scout leader and has often said how few children join these days, compared to it's hey-days in the 1960's and 70's .....

Alumchiner wrote:
My idea - get rid of the locals...the High Street resembles some sort of jeremy Kyle show crossed with Zombies most days ? lol

Hilarious comment. And true.

Here’s a few ideas to kick things off which could work in Poole, or Bounemouth. There is no copyright on ‘ideas’ so here are some of the better ones Ive seen first hand that are worth copying:
1. Maze/ Puzzle – See Stuart Landsboroughs Puzzle World, Wanaka, New Zealand. Website is www.puzzlingworld.co
.nz. This has a maze of fenced panels plus different levels, and also various illusions including a ‘roman toilet’. It’s much better than I can describe. Could be based at Upton House/ Hamworthy site.
2. Tree-top walks. ‘Go-Ape’ could run something involving zip-wires, tree canopy walks etc. which could work in Upton House grounds/ Meyrick Park. The best one Ive been to is Valley Of The Giants Tree Top Walk, Walpole, Australia.
3. A ‘snow dome’- like in Milton Keynes. Although Matchams dry skiing is competition.
4. Wreck diving. Poole could easily become a national centre for scuba diving and wreck exploring. Have a part of the harbour away from shipping lanes and environmentally sensitive areas where different wrecks can be sunk. Divers love to explore wrecks and this could be a safe environment to learn and practice. One of the Quay area buildings could become a dive centre/ aquarium/ oceanography centre. Like Poole Museum it would be part tourist/ part research and educational.
5. Weymouth attractions! Steal some ideas that they do well!! At Lodmoor the Go-Karting and themed crazy-golf is better than anything on offer in Bmth-Poole. The crazy-golf at Sandbanks is about the best the conurbation can offer. There really should be a far far better offering in Bournemouth gardens, and in Poole Park. They are embarrassingly basic compared to what you see in the US or even UK seaside towns. Put the effort in, and you will reap the rewards.
6. Walking Tours. Poole could support various walking tours such as you find in London, Prague and most tourist towns. All that is needed is the council to grant licences to individuals to operate the tours and let them get on with it. A very easy way of adding another tourist attraction. Tours usually are along the lines of ‘Ghost Trail’/ ‘Heroes and Villains’/ ‘Horrible Histories’/ ‘Saints and Sinners’ / ’50 shades of hanky-panky!’ etc... whatever captures the imagination. Im sure budding actors and history buffs would be great at this sort of work.
7. Amphibious Vehicle. In London there is/ was a large amphibious bus which gave tourists a tour of the town and drove in to and across The Thames. It could work in Poole, be something different and fun.
8. Quirky events. Rolling and running after big cheeses, flying off Brighton Pier, eating nettles, the worlds fastest this, or slowest that, or who can eat the most whatever. People love all this stupid stuff. Wimborne has a rubber-duck race every year. Try and think of some local customs/ events/ eating or drinking related or race type situation which is unusual/ daft etc. Anything that will be a crowd pleaser and grow in momentum over the years. Could be done by the Quay/ High Street area.
9. A Planetarium. Not many of these about. Doesnt need to be huge, is different and adds a touch of class to the tourist offering. Could work in Bournemouth town centre or Poole Quay area- anywhere with a high tourist flow. Could potentially be Lottery funded re educational etc.

Anyway- thats it for me... a few ideas to liven things up a bit.

The way its going Poole will be reserved for the Boat people,who will take all the parking at the quay.The locals wont be able to get near,especially the elderly and disabled.

Assuming you actually want to attract hoards into the town, it would help if what and WHERE things actually are in Poole was brought to the attention of visitors when they arrive. It's no good couples with children arriving on the train and expecting to walk to the beach. Make it PLAIN at the station and on the web site where the beach and everything else actually is. Pretty black and gold signposts are not helpful - they're hardly noticeable. It needs something to hit visitors in the eye when they get here. There have been several times when I've been asked by parents with young children, who have just bought their bucket and spade in the High Street, where the beach is. When told it's four miles away on a bus, they're deflated ad disappointed.
.......
A CLEARLY advertised free bus from the station or/and the bus station to the beach would not only alleviate the parking problems, but help cash-strapped families. Try it for a year and see if it works. If not, drop it and think again.
.....
For new attractions, there are two considerations which have to be addressed in parallel - who are you trying to attract and where could suitable attractions/activiti
es be sited? For example, it's no good deciding you want family outdoor activities in parts of the town where there is no green space; it's no good putting a wet weather attraction in the middle of a field.
..........
Stop giving the impression on the web site that attractions such as Monkey World and the Tank Museum are close to Poole - they're not if you have children in tow. "Are we there yet?"
.......
Poole isn't a holiday town - it's a working port. Ask people what they think of the place when they visit. They're the one's you're trying to attract. Even when 80% say that it's a boring dump, councillors still won't believe it. They'll still come up with draft ideas like a scintillating scout museum. They need to cater for the "customers" not their own egos, so need to ask them what they want.

I thought the beaches in the area were the main reason people came here.

I fully agree that the beaches are
the main attraction but the bus service
to Sandbanks is poor it is easier to
get to Bournemouth beaches on the
yellow buses. The Sandbanks bus
stops after 6pm. I love Southbourne
where you have the cliff lifts!

pete woodley wrote:

rayc wrote:
How about something really brave like providing a French style motor home 'aire' within walking distance of the town?
A barriered entrance with a fee of £8 or so a night, payable by CC with water and toilet emptying facilities.
Canterbury P&R can do it at a cost of £2.50 per night which includes the bus into the city.

Thats not a bad idea,anyone see any problems with it.

Innovative and why not!

chiefwolf2 wrote:
The Petersham Group said at their last event that Poole is not ready for a big attraction.........W

HY?.............Becu

ase the NIMBY residents always go against any change what so ever...... The Council is absolutely nowhere near brave enough to do anything even slightly controversial, because it may cost them the next election.....the gap between Con and Libs is very small and thats why we dont get anything done in Poole..... Up north where there are political strongholds that is where you get the brave and controversial decisions and projects implemented..... one word for Poole Council.... WEAK.......

Politics is a bone of contention here
ask Mark Howell of the Poole people
party! Get the Labour party in for a
change!

l'anglais wrote:

nigglygrilly wrote:
Surely the harbour, Brownsea Island, Sandbanks and other beaches in Poole and many other natural beauty spots are attraction enough - do we really want Poole turned into another Bournemouth with thier "failed" tourist attractions - IMAX example as one!

They are all very nice places that you mention, but from a business perspective footfall is paramount.
How many people can get to Brownsea in an hour?
The parking capacities (and daily costs) from Sandbanks to Branksome are poor.
Another issue is, due to decades of poor road planning has left the entire Bournemouth and Poole conurbation unattractive to any form of development, tourist or otherwise.

We need a new strategy to get the
boat prices lowered and the cost of
going on Brownsea made more
affordable!

The Seasider wrote:
Here’s a few ideas to kick things off which could work in Poole, or Bounemouth. There is no copyright on ‘ideas’ so here are some of the better ones Ive seen first hand that are worth copying:
1. Maze/ Puzzle – See Stuart Landsboroughs Puzzle World, Wanaka, New Zealand. Website is www.puzzlingworld.co

.nz. This has a maze of fenced panels plus different levels, and also various illusions including a ‘roman toilet’. It’s much better than I can describe. Could be based at Upton House/ Hamworthy site.
2. Tree-top walks. ‘Go-Ape’ could run something involving zip-wires, tree canopy walks etc. which could work in Upton House grounds/ Meyrick Park. The best one Ive been to is Valley Of The Giants Tree Top Walk, Walpole, Australia.
3. A ‘snow dome’- like in Milton Keynes. Although Matchams dry skiing is competition.
4. Wreck diving. Poole could easily become a national centre for scuba diving and wreck exploring. Have a part of the harbour away from shipping lanes and environmentally sensitive areas where different wrecks can be sunk. Divers love to explore wrecks and this could be a safe environment to learn and practice. One of the Quay area buildings could become a dive centre/ aquarium/ oceanography centre. Like Poole Museum it would be part tourist/ part research and educational.
5. Weymouth attractions! Steal some ideas that they do well!! At Lodmoor the Go-Karting and themed crazy-golf is better than anything on offer in Bmth-Poole. The crazy-golf at Sandbanks is about the best the conurbation can offer. There really should be a far far better offering in Bournemouth gardens, and in Poole Park. They are embarrassingly basic compared to what you see in the US or even UK seaside towns. Put the effort in, and you will reap the rewards.
6. Walking Tours. Poole could support various walking tours such as you find in London, Prague and most tourist towns. All that is needed is the council to grant licences to individuals to operate the tours and let them get on with it. A very easy way of adding another tourist attraction. Tours usually are along the lines of ‘Ghost Trail’/ ‘Heroes and Villains’/ ‘Horrible Histories’/ ‘Saints and Sinners’ / ’50 shades of hanky-panky!’ etc... whatever captures the imagination. Im sure budding actors and history buffs would be great at this sort of work.
7. Amphibious Vehicle. In London there is/ was a large amphibious bus which gave tourists a tour of the town and drove in to and across The Thames. It could work in Poole, be something different and fun.
8. Quirky events. Rolling and running after big cheeses, flying off Brighton Pier, eating nettles, the worlds fastest this, or slowest that, or who can eat the most whatever. People love all this stupid stuff. Wimborne has a rubber-duck race every year. Try and think of some local customs/ events/ eating or drinking related or race type situation which is unusual/ daft etc. Anything that will be a crowd pleaser and grow in momentum over the years. Could be done by the Quay/ High Street area.
9. A Planetarium. Not many of these about. Doesnt need to be huge, is different and adds a touch of class to the tourist offering. Could work in Bournemouth town centre or Poole Quay area- anywhere with a high tourist flow. Could potentially be Lottery funded re educational etc.

Anyway- thats it for me... a few ideas to liven things up a bit.

Brilliant ideas sea-sider! Write to Mark
Howell of Poole People he seems to be
very forward thinking with young fresh
ideas for the town and its citizens!

Alumchiner wrote:
My idea - get rid of the locals...the High Street resembles some sort of jeremy Kyle show crossed with Zombies most days ? lol

Ooh controversial! How do you know
they're all locals, could be Scotsmen
Welsh, Geordies, Londoners and a
few Irish as well as Northerners!
Not many Poolites left, well maybe
they went oop North!

Why all the plugs for the Poole People they changed their views right after getting in.Mark Howell looks after himself,and thinks he is an old campaigner.Beware.

How about an interactive science and discovery centre on the Quay? Kids love them and our nearest one is at Winchester. It would serve our schools, locals and tourists alike. Educative and fun!

Why not give the Dorset Scrap store the old ‘’Mint building for free and then kids can come a make and take, like they do in the tent sometimes on the quay, we could have a model railway on one floor and an aquarium., all great places to go on the quay in the rain, just like we could do when we were kids but oh yes the council let developers destroy it, to make apartments and a abandoned night club . Why not a maritime /Sunseeker museum in the empty Dolphin Quay corridor across from Dolphin Quay Marina.
There is a superb visitors attraction, the ginger pop shop, why doesn’t the council help subsidise this so it will stay open, the Poole museum is great and the RNLI already has a fantastic museum on the quay, which is FREE, with its original boat where it belongs, it’s an interesting place steeped in history and we are glad to pop in to shelter from the rain when we are on the quay.
Climbing walls, trampolines by the Quay Thistle, and water fountains like they have in St Helier, where the kids can splash and dash, there is lots of things Poole can do all sorts of things but until they stop cosseting the developers and dare I say the RNLI - who should be royally ashamed for not including a home for the Poole Sea Cadets in their original lifeboat college redevelopment, things will not change. Have some vision and why not ask the people, with families and different interests – what we actually want.

Why not give the Dorset Scrap store the old ‘’Mint building for free and then kids can come a make and take, like they do in the tent sometimes on the quay, we could have a model railway on one floor and an aquarium., all great places to go on the quay in the rain, just like we could do when we were kids but oh yes the council let developers destroy it, to make apartments and a abandoned night club . Why not a maritime /Sunseeker museum in the empty Dolphin Quay corridor across from Dolphin Quay Marina.
There is a superb visitors attraction, the ginger pop shop, why doesn’t the council help subsidise this so it will stay open, the Poole museum is great and the RNLI already has a fantastic museum on the quay, which is FREE, with its original boat where it belongs, it’s an interesting place steeped in history and we are glad to pop in to shelter from the rain when we are on the quay.
Climbing walls, trampolines by the Quay Thistle, and water fountains like they have in St Helier, where the kids can splash and dash, there is lots of things Poole can do all sorts of things but until they stop cosseting the developers and dare I say the RNLI - who should be royally ashamed for not including a home for the Poole Sea Cadets in their original lifeboat college redevelopment, things will not change. Have some vision and why not ask the people, with families and different interests – what we actually want.

Why not give the Dorset Scrap store the old ‘’Mint building for free and then kids can come a make and take, like they do in the tent sometimes on the quay, we could have a model railway on one floor and an aquarium., all great places to go on the quay in the rain, just like we could do when we were kids but oh yes the council let developers destroy it, to make apartments and a abandoned night club . Why not a maritime /Sunseeker museum in the empty Dolphin Quay corridor across from Dolphin Quay Marina.
There is a superb visitors attraction, the ginger pop shop, why doesn’t the council help subsidise this so it will stay open, the Poole museum is great and the RNLI already has a fantastic museum on the quay, which is FREE, with its original boat where it belongs, it’s an interesting place steeped in history and we are glad to pop in to shelter from the rain when we are on the quay.
Climbing walls, trampolines by the Quay Thistle, and water fountains like they have in St Helier, where the kids can splash and dash, there is lots of things Poole can do all sorts of things but until they stop cosseting the developers and dare I say the RNLI - who should be royally ashamed for not including a home for the Poole Sea Cadets in their original lifeboat college redevelopment, things will not change. Have some vision and why not ask the people, with families and different interests – what we actually want.

Louloublue fully agree about the Poole
Sea Cadets its the families that live
here should have a voice!