Boscombe Chine Gardens
Bournemouth Borough Council
Boscombe Chine Gardens in Bournemouth, Dorset, was one of those parts of the British seaside that had seen better days. It was laid out in 1868 and for many years was a successful pleasure ground which attracted tourists and had its own mineral spa.
Over the past 30 years, however, the area had become overgrown, dilapidated and was attracting anti-social behaviour and crime. Since then the gardens have been completely revitalized which has been largely due to the close working relationship between the local council and the Friends Group. And their hard work has paid off as people have returned to the park, the area has been regenerated and for the past two years the gardens have received a Green Flag Award.
Michael Rowland, the Leisure Policy Manager for Bournemouth Council, is in charge of the local parks. He says: “We decided that we needed to refurbish just about everything. We wanted to restore it to the way it was before the war. We knew this would take a lot of money.”
Financial support
In order to receive Lottery funding, the Friends Group was expanded and the gardens received just over £1m from The Lottery and £1.7m from the local council. The work started by felling around 70% of the densely wooded areas which has allowed an acid grassland, similar to the one that existed prior to 1860, to be established. Some new structures were also created: the boating area was replaced by water features; a new circular shelter was built, which acts as the terminus for a land train that takes tourists from the Chine to the Pier; and the tennis courts were replaced with multi-purpose courts.
Another notable improvement was the addition of a building housing a café and supervised toilets. The toilets in the past had been no-go areas due to antisocial behaviour but the drug dealers that previously hung around in the toilets have now moved away because the area is too exposed for them.
The Friends Group has also organized various events including a fun day at Easter and a candle-lit carol service at Christmas. Chris Wakefield, Chair of the Friends Group, is delighted with the park’s remarkable transformation: “It’s a fantastic nature reserve and the whole place is very family-friendly.”
The local businesses and owners of the small hotels dotted around the Boscombe area are also pleased with the development as they feel that their trade has been boosted. And the development has opened the door to other schemes. The council has just won a £500,000 grant from CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) to refurbish the Boscombe sea front, as part of CABE’s Seachange initiative.
“Boscombe seems to be thriving despite the recession. This is closely linked to the fact that the regeneration plans have all worked so well. The Green Flag Award has ensured that other local initiatives are taken seriously,” says Rowland.
There are plans for further redevelopment but for now the priority is to preserve the hard-won gains and to make sure that the gardens remain well-looked after.