THE owner of a fitness company is refusing to take down beach front exercise kit, despite being given an ultimatum by the council.

Kevin Hubble was ordered to pull down a TRX frame he erected on Boscombe beach by today (Friday, April 7).

The owner of Three Sixty Fitness now fears he may have to relocate his business if the council maintains a decision to have it removed. 

The frame has been in place for the last 12 months.

Kevin said: “I feel disappointed that they can’t see the positive side, what we’ve done with the community, what we do to the beach, everything that happens here.

“It’s not just about the community that I’ve built, it’s about the community that comes every day here. It’s upsetting more than anything else.”

Bournemouth Echo:

He said it would be ‘back to the drawing board’ for the business if the frame was removed.

“We’ll look for the positives in this, we’ve got to. We’ll go back to where we originally started,” he said.

“But that’s not the plan we really want to go with. We need to find another location, and see where we go from there, really.”

Mark Cribb, the former owner of Urban Reef restaurant, which the frame sits next to, is angry that the 'wishes of the community' are being ignored.

Bournemouth Echo:

“I’m really passionate about community, and when you see the council deliberately trying to undo the good work that’s done by the local community and local businesses, it’s frankly outrageous,” he said.

“It’s undemocratic.”

Kevin and Mark have requested a meeting with council officers and are calling for public support so that the frame stays in place.

Bournemouth Echo:

“We ask the local community to come down and oppose it physically at the time they try and remove it and make a point that their job is to represent the local community, not to go against the local community,” Mark said.

Leader of the council Phil Broadhead said he had written to the chief executive of the council to challenge the decision.

He said: “Along with local councillor Jane Kelly, we have been working to try and find a resolution here. On that basis, I formally asked council officers last week to offer the operator a further six-month extension while we try and find a long-term solution.

“Officers have advised us that this is not possible due to issues around procurement.

“We want to continue encouraging that investment, not putting obstacles in the way. We won’t be giving up on this.”

Bournemouth Echo:

A BCP Council spokesperson said the council contract with the business expired on March 31.

They added that the council must ensure 'fairness and transparency' when allocating public contracts, so all opportunities are 'offered for open tender'.