I spent the first half of 2024 working on a project about, and called, "The Coast With The Most" - a photo-series documenting life along a stretch of England's southern coastline, centred around the seven miles of beach along Poole Bay.
With a population of 500,000, including the UK's wealthiest neighbourhood, this area is part holiday resort, part university town, part sea port, and part natural wonder. Comprised of the major towns of Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch (plus outlying settlements), each is very distinct in its heritage and purpose, but all are struggling with their place in the 21st century.
As a combined authority, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP) uses “The Coast with the Most” as its marketing slogan, but don’t actually qualify what “the most” is referring to: Is it the drug addicts? Vandalism? Graffiti? Inflated house prices? Beach litter? Sewage in the sea? Perhaps the increasing crime and violence? Definitely potholes.
Decades of poor leadership, reduced funds and a vocal segment of the populous have created an inward-looking, negative town stuck in a past it can’t recapture. And a bankrupt council. It is no wonder it is sliding down the rankings on every metric, attracting more undesirable clientele, and pushing young families, businesses and professionals out. As the cliche goes: adapt or die. It seems BCP chose the latter.
Faced with shrinking opportunities, many younger residents are relocating to towns and cities with a completely different, positive attitude. They're lured by green urban space, award-winning parks, town-centre regeneration projects aimed at creating pleasant, walkable public spaces free of pollution and noise. Forward looking towns fund themselves through congestion charging, clean air zones and residential parking permits, while providing efficient, cheap public transport in an integrated system designed to enable people to move around with ease and without the need of a car.
Meanwhile, BCP remains one of the most congested urban areas in the UK, with roads clogged, potholes everywhere, and a constant cycle of roadworks to cope with increasing traffic and heavy vehicles. Amazingly, there was even a recent campaign to open up Poole Park to through-traffic again, after the council closed one of the roads. In a microcosm of the issues facing BCP, local people were actively campaigning to have cars driving in and through their local park.
As the cliche goes: adapt or die. It seems Bournemouth chose the latter.
But more lanes, more car parks and more car-centric design never works and will never work. It is empirically proven in a phenomena known as “induced demand”. Look at successful town regenerations around the globe and it's clear what happens when car dependancy is removed. It breathes new life, almost literally, into urban centres by creating pleasant public spaces people want and can visit with ease. Populations become physically and mentally healthier, with better social outcomes as a result. Wealth flows in, and there are lower crime and antisocial behaviour rates due to a higher volume of people. Put simply, attractive places attract people. It's as simple as that. And is why so many towns are taking this approach.
But this isn’t just about cars and road use, it is about attitudes and vision. Britain's seaside resort towns need to be ambitious to survive. Look at successful seaside towns and there is a common thread: weekly festivals, arts and crafts fairs, indoor and outdoor food markets, music events, award winning street murals, public sculpture trails, cultural institutions basing themselves there, and a whole host of amenities and attractions for locals and tourists to enjoy.
Towns can’t rely solely on a beach to carry themselves through fickle summer weather, let alone six months of winter.
Contrast this with BCP. Claiming “seven miles of beach” to justify people visiting, while simultaneously allowing the town centres to die from lack of easy access, events, culture, retail, food and drink options. If it rains, there is essentially nothing to do in Bournemouth, especially as a tourist. Towns can’t rely solely on a beach to carry themselves through fickle summer weather, let alone six months of winter. Even on sunny days and warm evenings, there is very little to truly capitalise on visitor spending; Bournemouth could and should have a stunning, palm-lined promenade between its two piers, filled with cafes, bars, stalls, attractions and places to sit and relax. Instead it's another road and car park!
Bournemouth needs to join the 21st century. It needs young families, young workers and young professionals to provide income, life and labour to function effectively, year-round. If it continues to make it unpleasant for these demographics, then they will vote with their feet and move elsewhere; to cities and towns with forward facing attitudes that offer them opportunities, culture and life.
My "Coast With The Most" series captures life along this stretch of coastline, highlighting the challenges, changing demographics, cultural conflicts and difficulties of a seaside conurbation trying to navigate a changing world.
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