Bournemouth

Introduction

Bournemouth is a large town and seaside resort on the south coast, in the south east corner of the South West region. Bournemouth is part of the second largest conurbation in the South West, which includes much of the neighbouring unitary authority of Poole and the districts of Christchurch, East Dorset, and Purbeck.

Bournemouth is well connected to London and the South East by road and rail, but transport links to the West and North are poor. Bournemouth International Airport is to the north of the town, just outside the unitary boundary – passenger numbers continue to grow, but the airport expansion plans are controversial. In addition to a thriving tourist sector, Bournemouth is a popular venue for conferences. The town is also a major centre for banking, finance and insurance; in contrast, the manufacturing sector is relatively small. Bournemouth has a number of educational establishments, in particular many English language schools. Bournemouth University has locations in the town, although the main campus is just over the border in Poole, as is the Arts Institute (a Higher Education Institution (HEI)).

Recent Visits

• on 15 April 2009, Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Education attended a NUT conference plus a short visit to Porchester Sports College
• on 26 November 2008, Ben Bradshaw, Regional Minister for the South West, visited Bournemouth to address the South West Forum annual conference.

Demographics for Bournemouth

Mid-2007 Population Estimates

Figures updated annually. Last update February 2009. Source: Office for National Statistics.

Children and Learners

• Bournemouth and its schools have capital allocation of £5.8m for 2008-09, which will rise to £11.1m in 2010-11. Allocations for the three years 2008-09 to 2010-11, including ICT and the new primary programme, will amount in total to £25.6m
• Bournemouth and Poole will jointly be in Wave 8 of Building Schools for the Future, in 2010-11. This will see major improvements to the areas secondary schools
• Plans to rebuild the Lansdowne (Bournemouth) campus of Bournemouth and Poole College of Further Education are in hand. This will be a £60m project. The next step is to secure planning permission from the council

Economy

Bournemouth is working with Poole and Dorset councils to deliver an ambitious Multi-Area Agreement (MAA). The MAA was the first one to be signed in the country, and sets ambitious goals to improve the economy, transport, housing, skills and the environment.

Health and Well Being

• Bournemouth and the surrounding area is served by the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The Trust was granted NHS Foundation Trust Status in 2005. It is also served by the NHS Bournemouth and Poole  - the Primary Care Trust
• plans have been approved by the Primary Care Trust to develop three new GP surgeries and rebuild the Pelhams Community clinic, which opened on 19 January 2009
• the Primary Care Trust continues to expand its community-based services to bring care closer to home and improve access and choice. The PCT has most recently commissioned:

Crime

• Bournemouth has been named as one of 40 priority Respect Action Areas in England for being a council which has a strong record in tackling anti-social behaviour, linked partly to the pub and club ‘night time economy’
• Bournemouth is one of the Home Office's 50 alcohol priority areas. Bournemouth is served by Dorset Police, who have received £30k Home office funding to tackle Bournemouth's street drinking, night time economy binge drinking, public perception and fear of being a victim of crime
• Bournemouth have also received £12.5k from Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership (RIEP) funding for evaluation of the Pier Project (Priority Prolific Offenders scheme)

Transport

• in July 2006, Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset councils produced a second joint Local Transport Plan (LTP2) for 2005-06 to 2010-11
• £5.9m has been jointly allocated to Bournemouth and Poole as part of the Local Transport Plan funding settlement for 2009-10
• Atkins have been appointed to undertake the £2.2m South East Dorset Multi Modal Transportation Study. They undertook the majority of the data collection in Autumn 2008, and are currently developing the transport model. They will then use the model to test a variety of housing and employment options to determine the  optimum sustainable transport packages to facilitate the growth agenda. The model will also enable the participating local authorities to prepare robust bids for Government funding of major transport schemes to be submitted for regional prioritisation
• planning permission has been granted for a large office development at Riverside, just off the A338 Bournemouth Spur Road north of the Cooper Dean grade separated junction. The permission included a condition that the developer provides a 1,000 space Park & Ride site (value around £2m) and a grade separated junction with the Spur Road (value around £5m). A timetable for this work has yet to be agreed with the developer. However, the current economic downturn may make it difficult for the development to proceed

Social Inclusion and Regeneration

• funding of £3.5m has been allocated between 2002-09 for a Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder pilot in Boscombe West and Springbourne, making public services more responsive to the needs of the community. The Pathfinder has already achieved a number of successes in shaping mainstream services, including the introduction of wardens and the hot school meals project. These funds are now part of the Safer and Stronger block of the Local Area Agreement. As funding ends in March 2009, the council is aiming to mainstream services wherever possible
• Boscombe Chine Gardens were restored and reopened in 2007 with funding of £1m from the Heritage Lottery Fund
• work is underway on an artificial surf reef at Boscombe. This will cost over £1m and will provide an all year leisure facility. It will extend the tourist season and support the regeneration of Boscombe. Construction work began in September 2008, and the official opening is planned for autumn 2009. It has been funded by the sale of council land
• other regeneration work in Boscombe includes improvements to Boscombe Pier, the remodelling of the seafront area around the pier and the provision of new facilities for surfers and others
• Bournemouth was awarded 'Trailblazer' status by Communities and Local Government in summer 2008, enabling them to provide a greater range of advice to people looking for housing
• Bournemouth Council is currently consulting on its Town Centre Master Vision, an ambitious plan to regenerate the town centre area
• Bournemouth has received £455,000 of funding from the South West Regional Development Agency for its 'Sea Change' project to revitalise the Boscombe seaside area to the east of the town centre

European Funding

The new 2007-13 European Funding programme is under development, and project operation will start shortly.

Source: Office for National Statistics. Last updated 26 June 2009 

Internet links

• Neighbourhood Statistics
• Regional Snapshot