I WAS disappointed to read your editorial (Opinion, Daily Echo, April 26) about the demolition of the Waterfront building.

I am only too well aware that we shall not please everybody no matter what we do, but the council have embarked on a solution to the problem which has been strongly supported by a huge number of Bournemouth residents. It seems obvious to most people that we should see it through despite the longest and deepest property recession in living memory.

I am only too well aware that it has cost a lot of money for the council to buy the building from the owners and then gain vacant possession, but without doing that the original purchase would have been futile. I suppose we could have taken the easy option and just left the Waterfront by not spending the £6.5million to buy the building from the £10m capital receipt from the sale of the Terrace Mount car park. We could even now reverse everything we have done and sell the building back to the market and forget about demolition and restoring the views but I don’t think either option is what the public want.

The council has a further £2m left in the budget and that must include not only the demolition, but all the other works required to deliver the performance space and facilities on the site. Obviously we shall do everything possible to achieve more for less but leaving the building intact whilst the property market recovers over the next five to 10 years is not an option for most Bournemouth residents.

It’s time for everybody to follow the cross party lead of the council and get behind the majority of residents and businesses positively about our future on this important part of our seafront.

CLLR JOHN BEESLEY, leader, Bournemouth Borough Council