MP and councillor call for rethink on Bournemouth seafront venue lease

Summarised from Bournemouth Echo's report · Updated 9 Oct, 06:00 · Archive

Bournemouth East MP Tom Hayes and councillors are calling on BCP Council to reconsider its decision not to offer SOBO Beach a new lease.

BCP Council is set to decide the future of SOBO Beach after putting the Southbourne promenade site out to tender. The current lease expires on October 31, and the council said it was legally required to run a tender process. SOBO Beach has confirmed it was not the preferred bidder, with three operators shortlisted from expressions of interest received.

Bournemouth East MP Tom Hayes has called on the council to "wake up" and reconsider its decision. He praised SOBO Beach for becoming more than just a business, describing community activities including yoga, art classes, dancing and litter picking. Veterans, pensioners and running groups also use the venue. Mr Hayes said he had met the founder Rich Slater, received numerous emails from residents, and questioned the transparency of the tender process.

BCP Council said it remains committed to providing a vibrant hospitality offer at the site and cannot simply roll over the current lease "no matter how long an operator has been in place or its public popularity". The identity of the new preferred operator has not yet been revealed due to commercial sensitivities. Councillors will vote on the decision at a full council meeting on October 13, with the new tenant due to take access from December 1.

MP and councillor call for rethink on Bournemouth seafront venue lease — Image: Bournemouth Echo

Comments (0)

Read the report

'Wake up’ - MP and councillor call for rethink over council’s SOBO Beach decisionSOBO Beach has won backing from a Bournemouth MP and councillor as they call on BCP Council to rethink the future of the popular seafront venue.Bournemouth Echo · 9 Oct, 00:00
Council defends decision to axe SoBo Beach as operator of a site in SouthbourneBCP Council has said it remains committed to providing a ‘vibrant’ hospitality offer at a popular seafront venue, currently run by SoBo Beach, as speculation continues about who the new operator will be.Bournemouth Echo · 9 Oct, 00:00

In this story: Tom Hayes · Rich Slater · BCP Council · SOBO Beach · Southbourne · Bournemouth

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem