BOURNEMOUTH Council had a ‘very productive’ meeting with surf reef contractors ASR on Friday.

Now I don’t know what your idea of a ‘productive meeting’ is, but it wouldn’t be coming away after almost four years of work and a £3.2million bill with the promise that the people sitting across the table pledge to put it right next year.

Granted, I’m fairly sure that ASR managing director is fed up with the very mention of Bournemouth and Boscombe.

However, I am also positive that the council is thoroughly miffed with the current status of what everyone suggested would be our next great tourist attraction.

The company is hoping to complete repairs to a separate, damaged section of the reef before the winter weather gets too bad and is convinced that spring 2012 will see the reef’s performance improve.

Like so many others, I desperately want the surf reef to work and become the fun attraction – not Hawaii on the south coast – that ASR promised us.

I also want it to continue to aid the regeneration of Boscombe, even though it’s not all it was cracked up to be.

But the further we head into these choppy waters, the more the whole enterprise starts to take on the feeling of other projects that didn’t quite do what we were promised.

Six months will give us our answer...