I RECENTLY enjoyed one of the most enlightening conversations about one man's vision for Bournemouth's town centre.

Granted, it wasn't actually part of the current thinking, but it was a startling notion that would certainly make anyone who loves the town gasp in amazement, horror or both.

The idea was to flood the gardens, create a link via the Pier Approach and turn the area in to one enormous marina and watersports facility.

It is a truly astonishing idea that would certainly change the face of the town completely and while it seems unthinkable - or impossible - thinking big is precisely what our council needs to be doing, preferably with the support of its residents.

In the past week or so, a series of ideas has come out of the consultation that has created the town centre vision.

The removal of the rather unsightly flyover would create a very attractive walk-through from the pier to the gardens, treetop platforms or walkways would enliven the higher parts of the gardens and in today's paper, we reveal the ideas that could return Westover Road to its former glory.

A few months ago, I suggested that councillors might wish to go the whole hog and pedestrianise Westover Road, fill the empty buildings and shops and try to capture some of the Continental-style café culture that the town has coveted for so long.

Let's hope that all this vision stays in focus and doesn't, like Bournemouth Marina, remain as someone's dream never realised.