Art to lure visitors to precinct

Calling all public artists... Bournemouth Borough Council is commissioning an art trail to link Boscombe town centre to the seafront along Sea Road.
The council says it has £74,000 to spend on the project which will consist of seven pieces of public art.
The money is from the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) Sea Change project, which aims to stimulate cultural and economic growth in seaside areas.
The successful applicant will be expected to engage with the community during the project's development stage before creating "high quality and robust, site-specific artworks" that will form an "orientation feature and art trail".
The deadline for submissions is Thursday, December 3, at 5pm.
You can download the brief here.

Surf reef nears completion

Bournemouth Borough Council has said Boscombe's surf reef is close to completion.
The local authority's media team said the final phase of construction would include a "crucial" bathymetric survey (although no explanation was offered as to what that means).
The remaining sand will be distributed across the rest of the beach ahead of next week's Air Festival.
Additional waves are visible on the site of the £3million reef, however, the best and most popular surfing spot still seems to be on the west side of the pier.

More diversions for Spa residents

Boscombe Spa residents are set for more disruption with further road works planned in the area.
Bournemouth Borough Council has warned locals they will not be able to turn right into Boscombe Spa Road from Christchurch Road for three weeks from Monday, July 20.
Drivers will be diverted via St John's Road until the work is complete.
The stretch of road between Christchurch Roundabout and Boscombe town centre has been a traffic blackspot for nearly a year with almost constant road works and closures for one reason or another.
The council said: "The works are part of a series of improvements being undertaken on Christchurch Road, designed to reduce accidents and traffic delays, provide better facilities for pedestrians and cyclists and undertake essential carriageway maintenance and resurfacing of footpaths."

High demand for surf pods

More than 400 people have registered interest in just 59 'surf pods' in Boscombe's Overstrand building within days of the price tags being announced.
Estate agent Savills announced the price of single units at £64,995 and £89,995 for a double.
The 1950s building has been refurbished under the direction designers of Wayne and Geraldine Hemmingway. It originally contained 72 single beach huts but around half of them have been combined to create larger units. Many have balconies overlooking the beach at the surf reef construction site.
Wayne Hemmingway said: "The Overstrand excites us both as designers, and as people interested in seaside regeneration. It’s the restoration of a cool, historic building. With the great work being done on the Pier and Europe’s first artificial surf reef, Boscombe is about to become big news."
The surf pods are nearing completion but only half will be offered for sale. The remainder will be available to rent through Bournemouth Borough Council.
Savills is organising a sales event for the surf pods on May 15.

Goats get a view with pastures new

Six lucky goats will soon be taking up residence above one of the most sought-after addresses in Boscombe.

Bournmeouth Borough Council is bringing in the animals to help control vegetation on the cliff above Honeycombe Beach.
The goats, due arrive in April, will enjoy some of the best views in Britain – looking out over Boscombe’s surf reef to the Isle of Wight and Purbeck.
The council will run the trial scheme for six months and, if it is successful, more goats will be invited to come and live on other areas of the cliff.
Workmen are already fencing off the area between the Honeycombe Beach development and Manor Steps ahead of the goats’ arrival.

Economy and tourism councillor Beverley Dunlop said: "Following discussions and site visits with Natural England and, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, we decided that the ideal area to trial the grazing project is from Honeycombe Chine to Manor Steps. If the scheme is a success, the aim is to introduce grazing management on the majority of the cliff.

"A decision to make this type of grazing permanent will be done in consultation with local residents, beach hut owners and ward councillors."
The scheme is being paid for by Honeycombe Beach developer Barratt Homes.

Surf contest put back until next year

The South Coast Surf Championships, due to take place in Boscombe this weekend, have been postponed until the end of February.
A second weekend of poor swells prompted organisers to call off the event and reschedule it for next year.
Paul Clarke, of Bournemouth Surfing Centre, said: "This is a showcase event for south coast surfing and we want to make sure the competitors are pushed to their limits and spectators are entertained. Neither of these looked to be on the cards this weekend."
The contest is now due to take place on Saturday, February 28, and Sunday, March 1, 2009.
The event is organised by Wessex Surf Club, Bournemouth Surfing Centre, Bournemouth Surf School, Sorted Surf Shop, A1Surf and Bournemouth Borough Council.

Kings Park School first in line for refurb

Kings Park School in Boscombe will be the first to benefit from a share of £3 million to be spent on refubishing Bournemouth's schools.
The Government has approved the funding, plus a further conditional £5.3 million for 2010, as part of the nationwide Primary Capital Programme which aims to rebuild or refurbish half of the country's primary schools by 2022.
Cllr Malcolm Davies, Bournemouth Borough Council's cabinet member for children and families, said: "The first school to benefit will be King’s Park Primary, which will see an extensive refurbishment.
"These works are planned to begin in the summer of next year and are scheduled to be completed in 2010.
"Consultation is already underway with the school and with the local forums to discuss the plans and opportunities available."

Council publishes press enquiry online

Bournemouth Borough Council has taken the unusual step of publishing its response to a press enquiry on its website.
The response to questions from the Bournemouth Echo follows intense media attention yesterday about the late completion of Boscombe's surf reef. The post, which includes the questions asked by the Echo, aims to set the record straight over speculation that contractors would incur penalties over construction delays. Completion of the surf reef has been put back until next year.

Surf reef delayed until 2009

Construction of Boscombe's surf reef will not be completed by New Year as expected.
Bad weather and heavy swells has already hampered New Zealand contractor ASR and the company has conceded that conditions will only get worse as winter draws in.
Bournemouth Borough Council is currently in negotiations over a new target date for the reef's completion. Engineers need to wait for several consecutive days of calm weather before work can recommence.

Government funding to restore town's pride

The town centre at Boscombe could benefit from nearly half a million pounds of funding from central Government.
The area has been awarded £455,000 as part of the Government's Sea Change programme, run by the Commision for Architecture and Built Environment, which aims to link heritage and culture while restoring pride in the community.
Suggestions about how to spend the money include illuminations along Sea Road, accessible beach huts designed by local artists and improved wheelchair access on the seafront.
The money was secured by Bournemouth Borough Council and the improvements will be rolled out over the coming year.