Andy Lennox column: 'Fix Bournemouth Pier but don’t fix the surf out'

Their concern is fairly straightforward: in carrying out essential works to protect the pier could we inadvertently change the conditions around it that have helped make Bournemouth Pier one of our best-known local surf spots?

This isn't just about surfing either. Surfing brings people into Bournemouth from local day visitors through to people staying overnight. Crucially it is an activity that carries on throughout the quieter months when our hospitality businesses and wider visitor economy need people most. It would be very easy to dismiss this as a niche argument. It would be devastating if we did.

Equally we shouldn't pretend the council has an easy job here. Bournemouth Pier is an ageing structure sitting in one of the most unforgiving environments imaginable. It needs investment. It needs maintenance. There are health and safety considerations too. Difficult decisions have to be made about what can realistically be afforded.

The original ambition for a much wider restoration has already had to change. What matters now is making sure the money available is spent wisely while ensuring the essential work protects the pier for future generations. However this is where we must also look at the bigger picture because our seafront isn't a collection of individual assets operating independently of one another.

The pier affects the beach. The beach supports surfing and watersports. Those activities bring people into the town. Those people use our cafés restaurants pubs hotels and shops. They contribute to the atmosphere of Bournemouth and ultimately to our visitor economy. That ecosystem matters.

Surfing has been part of Bournemouth's identity for generations. You only have to walk along the promenade on the right morning to see people in the water before many of us have even contemplated our first coffee. So when surfers raise concerns that changes around the pier could affect the way sand builds up or waves break we should listen.

Especially because we haven't always got this right before. We lost surf at Southbourne. We lost surf at Boscombe. We have got to make sure we don't now lose it in Bournemouth.

That doesn't mean simply accepting that the surfers are right. It means asking the question properly. If the engineering evidence shows the proposed works won't materially affect the surf then great. Publish that evidence. Explain it clearly and give people confidence. If there is a genuine risk however now is surely the moment to understand it and see whether the design can be adapted.

Once you alter a coastal environment putting it back isn't necessarily straightforward. There is a wider lesson here for Bournemouth too. For too long we have sometimes looked at individual pieces of our tourism infrastructure in isolation: a pier a hotel a beach hut a promenade a park or an attraction.

Visitors don't experience Bournemouth like that. They experience the whole place. They don't necessarily know which organisation owns what which department maintains it or which budget paid for it. Nor should they. They know whether Bournemouth feels vibrant attractive and worth returning to.

The new Dorset Destination Management Plan sets out what comes next for tourism across Bournemouth Christchurch Poole and the wider Dorset area.

One of its central priorities is growing year-round tourism. So the logic seems pretty straightforward.

If we're actively trying to attract people outside the traditional summer season why would we risk losing something that already brings people here throughout the year?

More importantly surfing brings people here during those crucial quieter months from September through to February.

We must absolutely repair Bournemouth Pier. It is part of the fabric of the town and allowing it to deteriorate isn't an option. There are obvious health and safety considerations too. Yet destroying the surf in Bournemouth in the process can't be an option either.

So let's make sure we understand everything around it before the final engineering decisions are taken. Speak to the engineers. Speak to the surfers. Look at the coastal evidence. Understand the movement of sand and the effect of the structures around the pier. Then make the decision based on evidence. I will ensure the DMB is fully engaged in that process.

Bournemouth has spent generations building its relationship with the sea. We should be very careful not to fix the pier while accidentally fixing the surf out of Bournemouth.