FROM “slashing rents” to offering free parking, readers of The Daily Echo sent us in their views on how to improve the town centre. 

With New Look and Wilko in Bournemouth announcing they will be closing their doors in the next month, we wanted to find out from our readers what changes they’d like to see on the high street. 

Today, it has been revealed that House of Fraser, Bournemouth's last department store, is also going to close.

The rental cost of units was one of the most frequently mentioned suggestions, with some people saying rents are “extortionate”. 

One person said: “Slash rents!

“Shops are leaving because of extortionate charges being made.

Also cut parking charges. No-one wants to pay £4-£5+ to park up for an almost empty town centre.”

READ MORE: Uncertainty remains over the future of Wilko in Bournemouth

READ MORE: New Look announces closure of Bournemouth town centre store

Someone else added: “Reduce the rents to entice more businesses to open again empty shops are not appealing.”

Another person agreed with this sentiment and also added that parking costs should not deter people from visiting the town centre. 

They commented: “Lower rents for shopping centres and high street shops as more are closing due to high rates and offer car parking for free for up to four hours to do the shopping which would encourage more people into the town centres.”

Across the board parking was a key area of concern and one of the main reasons people suggested shoppers would be deterred from going to the high street.

One person said: “Reduce parking costs, have free parking days on Sundays, reduce business rates for shops to encourage new businesses into the town.”

They added that empty buildings across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole should be used to house people struggling with homelessness. 

'Give the homeless somewhere to stay'

This was echoed by another reader who said: “Give the homeless somewhere to stay so they don’t have to sleep on a cold wet floor outside shop doorways.”

Wanting to improve public safety, one reader said: “More police around, especially at night in the Poole Quay area.”

Looking for a crackdown on anti-social behaviour one person said: “Zero tolerance for ASB this should include drinking in public areas and begging, ban skateboarding in the square. Allow more street entertainers.”

Another person would like to see an outlet centre added to the town to help entice shoppers. They said: “ An outlet centre would be good too. I used to live in Edinburgh and had loads of malls nearby - the centre went downhill over the years but had shops that rivalled London in the 90s. There are some good centres up north too.”

One reader would even like to see more facilities including parkour climbing frames and lounges in the town centre. 

What would you like to see in the town centre? Let us know in the comments.