An investment of £1.7 million has been approved at Full Council for a seasonal response plan for 2022 around the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole town centres and seafront.
This will enable BCP Council to expand on its 2021 programme continuing the multi-agency response with additional funding going towards increased litter management, additional cleansing of toilet facilities, an extended park and ride scheme and increased communications to residents and visitors.
Councillor Mohan Iyengar, Portfolio Holder for Tourism and Active Health commented: “This funding is great news for all our residents and visitors who use our beautiful coastline every year. Last year several million people enjoyed visits to our seafront between April and August, which shows a real need to invest in the key concerns around this increase in visitors.
“We live in a dynamic place and want to ensure that everyone has a great summer. This money will enable enhanced operations across our coastline working with our multi-agency partners, who are as committed to support our seasonal response delivery as we are.”
Last year, plans saw additional seafront staff recruited to welcome people, keep the beaches clean and safe, and provide a greater security presence. Triple sized bins were installed along the seafront along with more daily collections to ensure the beaches remained amongst the best in the world. Over 1,455 tonnes of waste was collected, with 93% of the waste disposed of in the bins provided along the seafront and in the open spaces.
Traffic management officers were placed across key locations with tow away zones in operation with over 31,000 penalty charge notices issued for inconsiderate parking between April – August.
In addition, the successful multi-agency command control centre (MACC) led by the council and Dorset Police, recorded over 1,00 incidents during the same period that ranged from anti-social behaviour to lost children, with issues dealt with swiftly and every missing child reunited with their loved ones.
The MACC will be in operation once again this year to oversee the seasonal plan’s day and evening operations, responding in real time to issues that arise when the resort experiences an increase in visitor numbers.