BOURNEMOUTH’S Big Wheel is set to have a change of operator next year.

Applications for the operation of the wheel are open, as the current operator’s contract is set to expire early next year.

BCP Council is looking for an operator to “supply and operate” an observation (Ferris) wheel near the pier.

Applicants for the contract, which is set to run from 2024 until 2027, must be able to supply a wheel which is “no smaller than 30 metres in height” and no taller than 40 metres high.

Bournemouth has had a Ferris wheel since May 2016.

A wheel was originally located in the Triangle in Bournemouth town centre, before moving to its current location by the pier over Christmas and the new year of 2016/17.

The attraction has been popular with residents and visitors, thanks to the views it provides of the pier, beach, town, and Lower Gardens.

A BCP Council spokesperson said: “The current contract for our observation wheel on Bournemouth’s Pier Approach expires in January 2024.

“As our council procurement regulations require, the site is being re-advertised for an operator to provide the service from February 2024 to January 2027.”

Applications for the contract close on April 28.