AN EXPERIMENT to try and remove the unpopular toll fee at Bournemouth Pier will begin this year, with Easter earmarked as the first stage.

Openwide International, which operates the Pier Theatre, cafe and kiosks, will pay Bournemouth council more than £100,000 a year to operate the pier toll for the next four years.

The move means Openwide will be free to experiment with dropping the toll at certain times in a bid to increase the number of people visiting the pier.

But the 50p charge will not be banished for good - Openwide will start by offering free access in the evenings but admits it will not be able to drop the fee in high season.

Rory Holburn, Openwide's commercial and operations director, said work on revamping the Pier Cafe and bar should be completed by Easter, when it is planned to offer free evening access.

He said the plan was to enhance the pier as a leisure attraction so that the toll could eventually be dropped at all times except the summer holidays.

Openwide is also continuing to liaise with developers about building a landmark attraction on the end of the pier.

Mr Holburn said: "It's slow progress but we are still working on it.

"We have a meeting on January 18 with a potential financial backer but in today's market it is a little bit difficult to secure the necessary finance.

"There's a lot of enthusiasm but it's a slower process than we had first hoped.

"We're still hoping that we have a chance of getting it in for Bournemouth's bicentenary celebrations in 2010."

When asked what sort of landmark he was hoping for, he said: "There are several options but we're not ready to go forward with anything yet so I can't confirm what these might be."