A STATE of the art “Shard-like” building could be constructed in Boscombe, with an aim to become a financial and geographical landmark.

Bournemouth East MP, Tobias Ellwood, says that he has held positive discussions with potential developers and investors to kickstart the “ambitious and imaginative” plans.

Supposedly, the building would sit above the current Sovereign Shopping Centre in Boscombe in a “colourful and dynamic way” and would serve as a “geographical footprint” for the whole of Bournemouth.

Mr Ellwood said: “These are really exciting plans for which we’ve had serious interest from investors in sovereign states. The Bournemouth skyline could do with some innovation and this could work as both a financial and geographical footprint. It could be our landmark to the rest of the country just as the Spinnaker Tower is to Portsmouth. We do have our beach-side Ferris wheel, but this would completely transform our skyline.

“We’ve seen success before with JP Morgan setting up the Bournemouth Corporate Centre in Littledown which transformed the financial service industry and gave us the chance to become a footprint for financial services.”

Mr Ellwood also believes that such a building could attract major powerhouses in the digital industry, such as Apple and Google, to set up offices in Bournemouth to aid local growth.

He said: “My vision has always been to tap into the incredible digital capabilities that are born at Bournemouth University. So many of our graduates, once they finish studying, take their skills elsewhere and if we could attract them to stay with great worldwide corporations having local offices, it would be such a coup for the town.”

Local reaction has been mixed. Theresa Thorne, 73 from Bournemouth, said: “I’m not sure about that. I think Bournemouth is known for its beaches and that’s what people look to when they come here. Those sorts of big, modern buildings fit well in London, not here.”

Whereas Anthony Wells, a plasterer, 36, from Winton, said: “I don’t see why that wouldn’t work as it sounds like it could be good for the economy which, given the state of everything at the moment, is surely a good thing.”

According to Mr Ellwood, the plans would create huge employment opportunities for the area and added that a possible visit from interested parties from sovereign states such as Qatar and Kuwait had been curtailed due to the pandemic travel restrictions. He did, however, stress that funding could come from many avenues, including UK government support.

When asked whether he thought his vision could become a reality, Mr Ellwood said: “I absolutely do. It would be fantastic to see Boscombe being regenerated in this way, we need to keep the ball rolling and not stop here. I hope we can now show the confidence to be ambitious and imaginative.”

The project could become part of the multi-million-pound renovation plans for Boscombe town centre, in which the Sovereign Shopping Centre could be demolished to make way for new developments. Back in March, Chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed Bournemouth as one of 45 towns to benefit from the £1 billion ‘Town Deal’.