WORK is progressing at pace on the formation and delivery of 10 projects which aim to bring about the regeneration of Boscombe.

Using a £21.7million allocation from central Government, the Towns Fund team is developing the initiatives to deliver jobs and homes.

Each project requires a detailed business plan and council officers have said they are well on track to meet the strict deadlines to unlock the full funding.

Martha Covell, project manager for the Towns Fund, said: "Boscombe has been planned to death. It is about time we actually did something.

"The main project with my background as a planner is the Royal Arcade and trying to fix that up because I have worked on a lot of heritage buildings in the past and it has so much potential."

Find a breakdown on each of the Towns Fund projects and the current implentation plan, which runs to the end of the current decade, below.

Projects summary

Kings Park Learning and Skills Hub
Purchasing the former Bournemouth Indoor Bowling Centre to secure the tenancy of the existing Skills & Learning centre. This will enable investment in a new range of services to better meet the skills and well-being needs of the community.

Bournemouth Echo: Illustration of the new activity hub at Kings Park

Digital connectivity

Delivering smart place infrastructure (Gigabit fibre, 5G & data management) and digitally enabled support to local businesses, community health, retail, eisure & tourism.

Boscombe High Street

Refreshing and refocusing the commercial offer on the High Street with shopfront improvements  and re-use of vacant floor space.

Bournemouth Echo: SPECIAL POWERS: Security guards may patrol in Boscombe

TOSH (The Old School House)

A small project to improve the windows, heating and insulation of the building, so more people can use it as a flexible work-space.

Toft steps beach box park

Construction of cabins to provide affordable space for start-up businesses on a seasonable basis at this beachside location.

Boscombe Skills and Digital Hub

A hub which signposts people to existing and enhanced skills and training appropriate to individual needs with a particular focus on the digital sectors.

Events Programme

Changing the perception of Boscombe with a small festival promoting local art organisations.

Royal Arcade

The flagship project of the Towns Fund is key to unlocking the regeneration potential of the area. Funding will be used to purchase the arcade and create affordable commercial space for independent businesses.

Bournemouth Echo: Looking towards the Royal Arcade in Boscombe

Masterplan

Facilitating the start of an ambitious masterplan, with the delivery of phase one of the masterplan focused around Hawkwood Road car park, including new homes, village hall and doctors surgery.

Local Transport

Improvements to walking, cycling & buses in the towns fund area, including enhancements to Woodland Walk, Christchurch Road and around Pokesdown Station, with a new bus service from Pokesdown Station to the pier.

Bournemouth Echo: Boscombe Pier

Programme Management

A small responsive team, developing and assisting in the delivery of projects and attracting new investment to the area. The team will run an ongoing engagement programme and the projects will publicised to maximise their benefit to the whole community. This includes robust project monitoring to meet the Government's Towns Fund guidance.

Implementation timeline

Phase One - High Street Refresh, Digital Infrastructure, Kings Park Activity and Learning Hub

  • High Street refresh: 2020 - 2021
  • Phase one of Digital Infrastructure project completed: 2020 - 2021
  • Digital Infrastructure Phase two: 2022 - 2024

Phase Two - Beach Box Park, High Street Refresh, Events Programme

  • Develop business cases for all three projects: Late 2020 - Early 2022
  • Beach Box Park construction: 2022 - Mid 2023 (beach box park opens)
  • High Street Refresh designs: 2022 - Late 2023 (High Street premises improved with owners through to early 2027)
  • Five-year events programme: Mid 2023 - Late 2028

Phase Three - Royal Arcade, Boscombe Skills and Digital Innovation Hub

  • Develop business cases for both projects: Late 2020 - Early 2022
  • Purchase Royal Arcade: Mid 2022 - Late 2023
  • Royal Arcade bulding renovations: Late 2023 - Early 2026
  • Royal Arcade ground floor units open: 2025 - 2026
  • Royal Arcade upper floor units open: Mid 2026 - Late 2027
  • Skills and Digital Hub opens (funded for four years): 2025 - 2028

Phase Four - Master Plan, Local Transport Projects

  • Develop business cases for both projects: Late 2020 - Early 2022
  • Local Transport improvements to Pokesdown Station, Cycling, Buses & walking delivery: Mid 2022 - 2030
  • Town Centre masterplan phase one delivery (Hawkwood Road homes, Haviland Road West Street, Boscombe Square, new shops and services, new homes): 2026 - 2030.

Engagement

  • Implement stakeholder engagement plan: 2020 - 2030