£20m project to put ‘abandoned’ Boscombe back ‘on the map’
A multimillion-pound project to “regenerate” Boscombe is continuing despite claims the town has been “forgotten”
The leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council has dismissed claims that Boscombe has been “left behind.”
£20 million is being invested to ‘revitalise’ the town’s high street, add a new community centre and build 68 new homes.
Cllr Vicki Slade told us: “Boscombe is a great place, you've got the most wonderful heritage buildings, it's eclectic, it's vibrant and it's well-known for being a cultural centre.
“I don't see how people can say Boscombe is being ‘forgotten’, in fact this £20m investment is all about putting Boscombe front and centre.”
Local residents and business owners we’ve spoken to in the past criticised the high street for being dirty and void of shops, accusing previous administration of “abandoning” the area.
However, the current administration say they remain “fully committed” to regenerating Boscombe town centre.
Cllr Slade said: “This whole project has been very much led by the people of Boscombe with huge involvement from the neighbourhood forum, local businesses and local people.
“They're the ones that have designed what they want the idea of this is to let people raise their concerns ask their questions, and sort of start developing their community.”
In addition to public realm improvements, there has also been free wi-fi rolled out across the town as well as a new Boscombe Digital Skills Hub, aimed at improving people’s skillsets and employability.
There are nine approved Town’s Fund projects, five of which have already been delivered.
However, the council has ditched plans to purchase and refurbish the Grade II listed Royal Arcade due to soaring costs.
Instead, the local authority plans on using the money saved to further improve public realm, put more money into the community centre, the Kings Park facility, the high street and ultimately benefit the wider community.
Cllr Slade added: “We are disappointed that we can’t refurbish the Royal Arcade but sometimes you have to accept that some projects just aren’t financially viable.
“We are still hoping to get planning permission for the changes there, so if a developer comes along and does want to buy it, they'll already have planning consent.”