Boscombe's transformation is well underway, but we're far from finished! Back in 2020, we teamed up with local residents and businesses to brainstorm how to best use the £23 million Towns Fund grant from the government. Together, we developed a detailed plan for a vibrant new neighbourhood on Hawkwood Road.
The new neighbourhood was given the green light by the council in April. This project (formerly known as the Towns Fund masterplan) is set to transform the area in plenty of exciting new ways. Keep reading for a peek at our plans for Boscombe's future!
Please note that the Hawkwood Road Car Park, located behind 625 (formerly WHSmith's) and 627 (Costa Coffee) on Christchurch Road in Boscombe, will permanently close from 7th July 2025. This closure is to facilitate important redevelopment and regeneration work taking place at Hawkwood Road. We apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding as improvements are made to the area.
Pictured: Arial view of site and redline around the car park that will be closed.
The new neighbourhood being built in Hawkwood Road will deliver numerous benefits to the community. These benefits will include new homes, a community centre, a new park (to be named Hawkwood Gardens), improvement to the public realm and street, space for new businesses, and improvements to the High Street with a new boulevard. Learn more about each benefit below!
The Hawkwood Road project has been given planning permission to build 68 new homes which will be built in three blocks. The residential properties will be broken down as:
Residential tenure mix (indicative)
In addition to this, 8 of the homes will be suitable for residents with mobility needs, and accessible parking spaces will be available. All homes will have an outside space or balcony and the homes will be built and managed by BCP Council.
The new homes will all be affordable social rented which can only be accessed via BCPs Housing Register. Affordable housing is for people who do not earn enough to afford to rent or buy a home at market prices. More information regarding affordable homes and how to join the housing register can be accessed from the weblinks below.
Affordable Housing | BCP
Join the housing register | BCP
The Bournemouth Towns Fund Management team has been working with community stakeholders in developing this project since 2020. The vision is to create a social space which belongs to the community and can be used for anything from indoor sports activities to private meetings.
The community centre will be 795 sq metre of internal floorspace and laid over 2 floors. The centre will be overlooking the new walkway and boulevard with an attractive contemporary design together with an external seating area. Full details are to include:
The centre will be run by an existing experienced not for profit organisation. A number of potentially suitable organisations have already been identified and we will be inviting formal Expressions of Interests later in 2024, which will be advertised widely.
Included in the new neighbourhood project on Hawkswood Road, there is to be a brand new park, otherwise known as Hawkswood Gardens. The park will be positioned opposite the community centre and will include informal play areas, planting and a small pavilion. Further park information is as follow :
Improvements to the High Street are paramount in making Boscombe vibrant, quirky and most importantly safe for its visitors and residents. Part of this plan execution, we are going to be creating a new boulevard in Hawkswood Road.
Our final objective is to create new spaces for business owners to showcase their business or products on the High Street. Details of this are to include:
A total of nine trees are to be felled, with tree removal where possible limited to BS5837: 2012 Category 'C' trees. An additional tree is to be pruned and crown lifted on its southern aspect to create a sustainable separation between its canopy and proposed built form. Tree felling works are limited to the following trees:
BCP council has employed a demolition firm to remove the old WHSmith building. The BCP Housing Delivery team will be project managing the demolition alongside their external appointed consultants.
The new homes will be built, rented and managed by BCP Housing.
The plan is to provide high-quality homes in the town center, all meeting minimum size standards and including private outdoor space. The housing mix includes larger 2 or 3 bedroom homes suitable for families. Boscombe town center's sustainable location, close to shops, services, and public transport, makes it ideal for higher density development. Smaller terraced houses would be out of character with the area, which primarily consists of villas converted to flats. National guidance supports higher density, good quality homes in such locations, aligning with the available funding.
Recycling of materials will be carried out to industry required standards.
During the demolition and the construction of the new community centre the path alongside Costa coffee will be temporarily closed. This will be reopened as soon as possible once the new community centre and pedestrian link has been completed.
Demolition is expected to be completed by the end of October 2025.
There will be a new open pedestrian link between Christchurch Road and Hawkwood road. This will contain retail kiosks, seating and planting. The new community centre will open onto the pedestrian link providing an integrated community space. This will all link the main retail area of Boscombe with the new housing, park and health training centre in Hawkwood Road. It will also improve access to the retained parking areas in Hawkwood Road.
The plans have been publicly accessible in the Boscombe Hub at various times and are still available on the planning portal for anyone who wishes to view them.
Engagement Hub:
30-32 Royal Arcade, Boscombe,
Bournemouth BH1 4BT
email [email protected]
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Bournemouth Towns Fund