Amy Woodward

A former Retired Nurses National Home site near Royal Bournemouth Hospital has been proposed for a temporary staff car park lasting up to three years. The scheme would provide 74 spaces, connect internally to the hospital’s existing temporary parking, and control vehicle movement within the site for security. Public consultation runs until September 1 under planning application P/26/03829/FUL, after which Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council planning officers are expected to decide the application.

A Savers store on Old Christchurch Road in Bournemouth has been granted permission to sell alcohol from 7am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and from 9am to 5pm on Sundays. The licensing committee approved the application despite concerns about crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour, citing Savers’ experience operating licensed premises. Safeguards include staff training, CCTV, a security guard, visible alcohol displays near the tills and participation in the Bournemouth Shop Watch Radio Scheme.

The UK Government plans to remove time restrictions on disabled concessionary bus passes from 1 April 2027, enabling eligible disabled residents to travel free by bus at any time of day. BCP Council welcomed the change, saying it should improve access to work, education and training. The council already operates a Morebus trial allowing Connect pass holders to make £1 journeys before 9:30 a.m. and after 11 p.m., and said it will work with partners to implement the new arrangement.

A Changing Places toilet in Bournemouth Lower Gardens reopened after a year-long closure caused by drug use, rough sleeping, vandalism and other anti-social behaviour. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council said the damage and related incidents cost just under £6,000. The council installed more secure access measures, including an external video-enabled intercom, and will have its anti-social behaviour team and Community Safety Accreditation Scheme officers monitor the facility.

A Change.org petition calls for the resignation of BCP Council leader Millie Earl and chief executive Aidan Dunn. It accuses the council leadership of ignoring residents, refusing to hold an open public meeting, failing to support local businesses and town centres, making uneconomical decisions, misusing public funds, incurring legal costs, and mishandling homelessness and public safety. The petition demands new leadership focused on transparency, fiscal responsibility, business support and restoring public trust.

Bournemouth University has applied retrospectively for permission to allow public parking at the Studland House and Bournemouth Gateway Building car parks during weekday evenings and throughout weekends. The sites, which have been in dual use since 2019 and 2021, provide 246 vehicle spaces in total alongside disabled, motorcycle and cycle facilities. Public use has been limited to about 20 vehicles per day, but the university wants to continue the arrangement for five years to increase revenue and support its travel plans. The consultation closes on September 5 under planning application P/26/03736/FUL.

Bowl Central, a bowling alley and amusement venue on Westover Road in Bournemouth, has applied to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council to vary its premises licence so alcohol can be served throughout the venue. The application also seeks to formally rename the premises from Fun Central to Bowl Central. Residents and other interested parties must submit written representations by September 2.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council has backed UK Government proposals to give councils greater control over new vape shops, betting shops and adult gaming centres on high streets. The measures would require new vape shops to obtain planning permission, tighten the definition of vape shops, remove the current “aim to permit” rule for betting-related applications and allow closure orders of up to 12 months for premises selling illegal tobacco. Council leader Millie Earl said the proposals would help create vibrant, safe high streets, while noting that BCP enforcement teams seized more than £1 million worth of illegal vapes and tobacco during the past year.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council is developing a data-driven early-intervention model to identify households at risk of homelessness before their problems become crises. Through the Royal Foundation’s five-year Homewards programme, the council is combining housing, health and social-care data with frontline knowledge and multi-agency partnerships, with particular attention to vulnerable young people and families. Predictive tools are being developed with the University of Auckland, while Bloomberg Associates is helping redesign local services. The initiative builds on an Early Prevention Team that supported more than 1,500 households last year, against roughly 1,000 households approaching council services annually.

Leaders of BCP, Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire councils welcomed the UK Government’s invitation to express interest in forming a Mayoral Strategic Authority for Wessex. The proposed authority could transfer powers and funding for transport, housing, skills, infrastructure and economic development to the region under a directly elected mayor. The councils said the Heart of Wessex partnership was united and ready to pursue a devolution agreement, after BCP Council formally backed the partnership in January 2025. The Government had rejected an earlier bid that month because it was not sufficiently advanced or developed.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council will install 564 on-street electric vehicle chargers, providing 1,128 public charging sockets over three phases through March 2029. The £16.5 million project, funded by the Department for Transport’s Local EV Infrastructure fund and private investment, aims to support residents without off-street parking and meet rising demand for electric vehicles. Connected Kerb will deliver the chargers across the BCP area.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council has consolidated all on- and off-street parking restrictions in the area into a single order. The order took effect on August 10, revoking and reintroducing previous permanent parking orders as reflected in updated map schedules. Residents could inspect the notice and order online from August 7 and had six weeks to challenge its validity in the High Court.

Beaufort Community Centre is due to reopen under Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council management in September after the Beaufort Community Association ended its operation and surrendered the lease in April. The council is assessing and refurbishing the building and plans to restore community events and activities, although childcare services will not return. Councillors said they would consult residents and contact former session leaders to help rebuild the centre’s programme.

Rania Mini Market on Christchurch Road in Bournemouth has been ordered to close for three months following an investigation by BCP Council Trading Standards, supported by Dorset Police. Authorities raised concerns about the sale of illegal tobacco and vaping products, including alleged sales to children and products containing THC. The closure prevents the store from operating while partner agencies decide on further action and follows similar enforcement against other Bournemouth shops.

Highwood Ventures 13 has applied to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council for permission to build an 80-bed care home on land at Broadway Lane in Bournemouth. The proposal includes communal facilities, parking, landscaping, a new access, drainage and related infrastructure. Interested landowners and agricultural tenants were invited to submit representations to the council by August 17.

Savers has applied for a licence to sell alcohol for off-site consumption at its Old Christchurch Road store in Bournemouth, operating from 7am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and 8am to 5pm on Sundays. Bournemouth Town Council objected, arguing that the licence could worsen existing antisocial behaviour and street drinking. Savers regional manager Mike Morgan said the chain has alcohol licences at 320 stores and has not caused problems elsewhere, citing Challenge 25 checks and mystery-shopper exercises. BCP Council’s antisocial behaviour team initially objected but later withdrew its objection. The licensing committee will decide the application privately.

Amy Walton, an armed forces advocate from Hamworthy in Poole, has been named a finalist in the Employee Champion category of the Soldiering On Awards. Through AW Social Value Consultancy, volunteering with Wessex RFCA and fundraising for the Royal Marines Charity, she supports service leavers, veterans and military families. Walton, who is married to a Royal Marine, said the recognition was especially meaningful after being made redundant by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. The awards ceremony will be held in September, when the winner will be announced.

Residents in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole are being encouraged to take practical action on the climate and nature emergency following screenings of the People Emergency Briefing film. Councillor Andy Hadley highlighted risks including coastal and river flooding, biodiversity loss, declining pollinators and dependence on imported food. BCP Council is installing electric vehicle charging points, promoting public transport, cycling and walking, improving infrastructure and reducing its own energy use through measures such as solar panels, while acknowledging that limited finances make progress difficult. Residents were urged to conserve water, grow food and reconsider consumption, with the council working alongside universities and major employers including Sunseeker and the RNLI.

Daisy, a business owner and mother, spent more than six months living in a campervan with her family while working and running a personal training business after financial setbacks left them unable to secure private accommodation. Following a referral to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, she received housing support and is sharing her experience to highlight hidden homelessness, which can affect people who work, raise children and appear outwardly secure. Councillor Kieron Wilson urged people at risk of losing their homes to seek help early, while the council and local partners provide advice, practical assistance and access to accommodation.

More than 2,000 residents signed up for BCP Council’s BCP LIFE discount card during its first week after launching on July 27. The scheme offers benefits including reduced parking, free monthly swimming, discounted council-café food and drink, and savings on leisure activities and local businesses. Thirty-six businesses are participating, with more expected to join. The programme is funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and matched council funding, and the council estimates that residents using the swimming and parking benefits monthly could save more than £80 a year.

Savers has applied for a premises licence to sell alcohol for off-site consumption at its store on Old Christchurch Road in Bournemouth. The proposed hours are 7am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and 9am to 5pm on Sundays. Councillor Michael Labidi has objected, citing existing alcohol-related anti-social behaviour, street drinking and public nuisance in the town centre. The Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council Licensing Committee is due to consider the application on August 5.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council is due to begin replacing 17 seafront showers between Warren Edge and Branksome, starting on 30 July. The work follows complaints about a shower between Fisherman’s Walk and Southbourne that residents say had been leaking for about eight weeks and wasting more than 24,000 litres of water. The council said the faulty shower would be among the first upgraded.

The number of young people entering the youth justice system for the first time in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole fell by 7.6% to 58 in 2025, compared with 104 in 2024. The council’s youth justice plan focuses on early intervention, reducing custody and reoffending, and repairing harm to victims. The report also records low custodial sentences, referrals of 152 children from 26 schools, and more than £2,000 raised through harm-repair projects. Councillors noted declines in knife-related offences, discussed support for vulnerable children, and considered how town councils could help reduce anti-social behaviour. The cabinet unanimously approved the report, which will proceed to the full council.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council has unanimously approved a five-year domestic abuse strategy for 2026–2031 focused on prevention, survivor support and action against perpetrators. The plan responds to 5,467 domestic abuse crimes recorded in 2023–24, including 734 high-risk MARAC cases and 898 repeat suspects. Measures include early intervention, professional training, education, public awareness and an integrated service due to launch in August 2027, supported by an 18-unit refuge, a 10-unit block and 15 dispersed properties. Annual funding is expected to reach £1.4 million to £1.5 million, primarily through the Safe Accommodation Grant and council budgets.

FTY Lab, an indoor football centre at Sterte Road Industrial Estate in Poole, has applied to BCP Council for permission to sell alcohol daily from noon to 11pm. The venue includes football training stations, an interactive pitch, Padbol, a sports bar, event rooms and a gaming room. Written representations about the application must be submitted to the council by July 27, 2026.

The Coconut Tree Sri Lankan restaurant on Old Christchurch Road in Bournemouth has applied to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council for permission to sell alcohol for consumption on the premises and to host live and recorded music. The proposed alcohol hours are 11am to midnight Monday to Saturday and 11am to 9:30pm on Sundays, while music could run until 12:30am on weekdays and Saturdays and until 10pm on Sundays. Residents and other interested parties have until August 11 to submit written representations.

Trustees of Jamia Mosque in Bournemouth have submitted a planning application to extend the building’s first floor, creating an assembly room for women and children and a separate entrance for women and children. The proposal also seeks to change adjoining land into parking space, adding six car spaces—including a disabled bay—and bicycle storage for nine bicycles. The mosque occupies converted chapel and factory buildings on Cranmer Road. A previous application for a two-storey extension was refused in 2021 because it was considered out of keeping with the street scene and harmful to the building’s appearance. The current application will be open for consultation until August 4, after which BCP Council planning officers are expected to decide it.

Charminster House Properties Limited has submitted plans to demolish the former Munster Road care home, garage and coach house in Poole and replace them with five family homes. The scheme includes three detached houses, two semi-detached homes, parking, electric-vehicle charging points, cycle storage, landscaping and pedestrian connections. Public consultation on planning application P/26/03017/FUL is open until August 7.

A public consultation has been launched on proposals to introduce new 20mph zones across six Bournemouth neighbourhoods as part of broader road‑safety efforts following hundreds of recent traffic‑related casualties. Council officials highlight evidence from other UK cities showing casualty reductions under lower speed limits and encourage residents to attend drop‑in sessions or submit feedback before decisions are finalised.

A Bournemouth councillor condemned Nigel Farage’s decision to resign as MP and trigger a Clacton by‑election, calling it a waste of taxpayer money during a time of financial hardship for families. She argued that residents deserved genuine representation rather than political drama. Farage maintains he has done nothing wrong regarding an ongoing standards investigation. Major political parties have declined to field candidates in the by‑election.

Roadworks in Bournemouth’s Gervis Place, part of a major bus service improvement scheme, are progressing as planned with completion expected by early 2027. The project, funded by a government grant, includes full road reconstruction, widened footways, enhanced bus shelters, accessibility upgrades, improved CCTV and new crossing points. Councillor Andy Hadley reports that resurfacing is well underway and new bus shelters will be visible by the end of July. While disruption continues, businesses remain open and bus users are directed to temporary stops and the Morebus app for updated travel information.

Poole Civic Centre has been added to SAVE Britain’s Heritage’s at-risk register due to vacancy and uncertainty over its future. MP Neil Duncan-Jordan criticises the sale as a loss of public assets and heritage, while BCP Council’s deputy leader Mike Cox argues the sale will preserve historic elements, reduce maintenance costs, and support essential services. The building remains vacant since 2022, and the sale to a Manchester developer has not yet been finalised.

BCP Council has begun seeking an experienced operator to manage the new Boscombe Community Centre, part of a wider regeneration project that includes social housing, retail units and public green space. The operator will oversee daily operations, deliver specified services and generate income through room hire, grants and donations under a contract running from September 2026 to August 2030. Construction began on July 1 with completion expected in winter 2027, and interested organisations may register until July 31, 2026 via the regional procurement portal.