Proposals to cut public car parking in Boscombe by half

Residents were able to lobby questions at a representative from BCP Council’s Boscombe Towns Fund who revealed proposals at a public meeting to slice the number of spaces at the town’s Hawkwood Road and Sovereign Centre cark parks.

Following data collection of car park ticket sales in both pre and post Covid settings, representative Richard Wareham revealed to residents at a Boscombe Community Forum meeting in May that the some 1,100 spaces in the area examined could be reduced to just 450.

He said current provision for spaces in the five car parks researched represented a “significant oversupply” and that, at Hawkwood Road, just 54 per cent of spaces were used on average – even during O2 Academy events.

Hawkwood Road car park in Boscombe

As a result, the Towns Fund team suggested the 389 spaces at Hawkwood could be reduced to 75.

In response to this, residents expressed concern over the legitimacy of the data collected from ticket sales – suggesting the data failed to consider those who hadn’t paid as well as those who shared tickets.

Question from the floor asks why the first thing being done under the townsfund is to build on the main carpark. Residents feel cynical about whether the rest of the townsfund projects will happen

— Boscombe_Forum (@Boscombe_Forum) May 26, 2022

Mr Wareham said this only represented a small proportion of visitors but did stress that more data would be collected this summer to help inform the plans.

Boscombe Forum chairman Harry Seccombe questioned, from a business owner’s perspective, how the reduction in parking spaces could harm footfall and trade. Mr Wareham compared Boscombe with other centres like Winton and Westbourne, which are similar in size for shopping areas but with “considerably less” parking. He said despite lack of parking in these areas, they are still able to “operate well”.

Sovereign Centre car park. Picture: Corin Messer

Other suggestions as part of the Towns Fund plans would see cycle parking provision increase by 20 per cent and electric vehicle charging points for every new space built.

The 2020 South East Dorset Urban Mobility Strategy identified Boscombe as one of the most accessible areas in the BCP region for sustainable modes of transport such as cycling and bus travel.

Despite this, residents still questioned whether reducing parking amid wider plans to rejuvenate trade in Boscombe was counter-productive and highlighted AFC Bournemouth’s recent rise back to the Premier League as an example where more spaces would be needed.

Mr Wareham stressed the parking reductions were merely proposals at present, and that officials would undertake further analysis this summer and hold a public engagement event in June.