Bournemouth's Cafe La Strada cafe and restaurant closes

Cafe La Strada in old Christchurch Road closed earlier this month after being issued with a notice of forfeiture. 

It means the landlord for the building has reclaimed the site from the tenant, possibly “against the tenant's wishes”. 

A sign outside the cafe said: “As a consequence of re-entry, the lease is forfeited and the premises has been secured. 

“And take notice that no one can lawfully enter the premises unless they have been given authorisation by the landlord.” 

Cafe La Strada in Old Christchurch Road (Image: Daily Echo)

The cafe remains locked up, with lights off and a pile of unopened letters are scattered on the floor by the door. 

The family run Italian restaurant opened in 2021 and replaced a Costa Coffee. 

Cafe La Strada’s closure comes in the same month another town centre restaurant closed a few doors up the road. 

Jacket potato restaurant Kumpi closed on December 23 despite the “best efforts” of its owners to keep it afloat. 

Also opened in 2021, owners Ozan Kulaksiz and Onur Guvenc said they had found it “very difficult” running a business in Bournemouth town centre after seeing a “massive decrease” in footfall. 

Onur said they had reached a point where continuing was “no longer feasible”, and that Kumpi was among the “many businesses in Bournemouth facing closure”. 

Kumpi when it was open

Meanwhile, work continues behind the scene at BCP Council to gather all the views aired at the town centre summit held in the Echo building last month. 

Developers, businesses, landlords and political leaders, alongside representatives from the arts, Dorset Police, Bournemouth University and Arts University Bournemouth all took part. 

The aim was to work out what can be done to improve the town centre following a perceived decline in appearance and quality. 

Council leader Vikki Slade said: “We know that our high streets are changing. Across the country, many large towns are facing similar challenges, and we can’t deny that people want a different experience when visiting their town centre these days. 

“I made a commitment earlier this year to prioritise the improvement of Bournemouth, as we know that people really care about it and want to see it developed and improved. 

“The public consultation we held earlier this year reinforced a lot we already knew, but it also captured some excellent ideas and suggestions from the public.” 

She added: “We’ve listened and we’re now taking action.”