Statement from SOBO Beach
We’ve been inundated with queries about the future of SOBO Beach and we wanted to help clear up some rumours, and share our concerns with you with how you can help.
The situation as it stands is:
- BCP have run a tender process for the future 20 year operation of the site.
- This process was supposed to be run early in 2026 and decided before summer.
- Delays have meant the process still isn’t concluded, with approval required from full council before the decision is formally announced.
- SOBO Beach is not the preferred bidder, the reasons being ‘financial return’, ‘investment’, ‘visitor experience’, and ‘long term benefits for the seafront’.
What concerns us immediately is that due to the process running late any new operator is not going to be in a position to trade lawfully for some time.
- Our lease expires on 31st October 2026.
- The new tenant will have access to the site from 1st December but does not have any planning permission in place to develop.
- When we applied for planning permission it took 15 months to secure it.
See below how you can help
Since opening SOBO Beach a community has grown around us, we are not like other beach venues that attract tourists in summer and close for the winter.
- We have numerous groups of swimmers that use the sea day in day out, year round. We have community groups that use us, including Veterans Support Groups, SEND parents groups, Men’s Mental Health groups, Mum’s support groups, and many more.
- Winter is when we do a lot of charity fundraising, supporting Sleep Out to Help Out, the Southbourne Foodbank, the Southbourne Surf Lifesaving Club, Dorset Mind and others.
- We also have a lot of customers who use us throughout the winter as a respite from the world, or a connection to others. Individuals who can escape their problems and find peace if only for a short time at the beach.
We don’t use the word community lightly, we use it because it really matters, and is a huge part of what makes SOBO Beach special, it is you the people that have shaped the way we have grown,
The council has a rare opportunity to prevent a mistake before it happens.
They could easily issue SOBO Beach with a rolling lease to stay operating until such point that the tender process is complete, and any new operator has planning permission in place to start development.
If the site closes before planning is in place then it is a mistake that could have been avoided. Your councillor has the opportunity to vote to prevent this on 13th October.
How can you help?
We know you’re as concerned as we are, but it’s your councillors that need to know, they are the ones that have the power to prevent this mistake. They will be voting at a meeting on the 13th October about the future of the site. Before then you can write to your councillor and tell them if you are concerned on the following grounds
- The timing of the process has been flawed and should be paused so it can be run properly.
- The site should not be closed until planning permission has been achieved.
- Councillors should have the opportunity to review the process so they can assure the public that sufficient weight has been given to community, sustainability, and public benefit, and that they are not giving too much weight to rental income alone.
Only enough public concern will give the councillors a reason to query the process and ensure that it doesn’t lead to the prolonged closure of the site.
Email Template:
Dear Councillor,
I am writing as a local resident regarding the future of SOBO Beach and the decision due to come before Council on 13 October.
I understand that the Council has carried out a tender process for the future operation of the Southbourne Promenade site and that SOBO Beach is not the proposed operator.
Whatever the eventual outcome of that process, I am particularly concerned about the possibility of the site closing while a new operator prepares to take over and secures any necessary permissions for its plans. It took SOBO Beach 15 months to secure temporary planning.
SOBO Beach is much more than a seasonal beach café. It has become an important part of our local community and is used throughout the year by swimmers, local residents, families and community groups. It also provides a meeting place and sense of connection for many people during the quieter winter months.
I appreciate that the Council has a responsibility to consider financial return, investment and the long-term future of the seafront. However, I would also ask councillors to give proper consideration to community value, public benefit, sustainability and the consequences of any prolonged period in which the site cannot operate.
In particular, I would be grateful if you would consider the following questions before the Council meeting:
- Could SOBO Beach be allowed to continue operating until such point that the tender process is complete, and any new operator has planning in place to start development?
- What steps have been taken to minimise the risk of the site remaining closed for an extended period?
- Has sufficient weight been given to the existing community and public benefit provided by SOBO Beach alongside the financial aspects of the tender? Projects this important should be an exercise in economics not accounting.
- Are councillors satisfied that they have been given enough information to properly scrutinise these issues before making their decision?
I am not asking the Council to disregard the tender process. I am asking that the transition is handled in a way that protects the community and avoids an unnecessary closure of a valued local facility.
Once SOBO Beach closes, the community that has grown around it cannot simply be switched back on at a later date.
Please carefully consider these concerns when this matter comes before Council on 13 October, this is an opportunity to avoid rushing into a mistake.
I would also appreciate a response explaining your position and how you intend to approach the decision.
Kind regards,
[Your name]
[Your area/postcode]
Your Councillors
Important Councillors
Leader of the Council - Millie Earl - [email protected]
Portfolio Holder - Richard Herrett - [email protected]
BCP Councillors by Ward
Cameron Adams - Kinson - [email protected]
Sue Aitkenhead - Poole Town - [email protected]
Hazel Allen - Bournemouth Central - [email protected]
Marcus Andrews - Bearwood & Merley - [email protected]
Sara Armstrong - Eastcliff & Springbourne - [email protected]
Julie Bagwell - Hamworthy - [email protected]
Stephen Bartlett - Redhill & Northbourne - [email protected]
John Beesley - Westbourne & Westcliff - [email protected]
David Brown - Bearwood & Merley - [email protected]
Olivia Brown - Wallisdown & Winton West - [email protected]
Simon Bull - Winton East - [email protected]
Richard Burton - Bearwood & Merley -[email protected]
Judes Butt - Creekmoor - [email protected]
Partick Canavan - Boscombe West - [email protected]
Sharon Carr- Brown - Queens Park - [email protected]
John Challinor - Canford Cliffs - [email protected]
Adrian Chapman Law - Alderney & Bourne Valley - [email protected]
Brian Chick - West Southbourne - [email protected]
Eleanor Connolly - Boscombe East & Pokesdown - [email protected]
Peter Cooper - Hamworthy - [email protected]
Mike Cox - Christchurch Town - [email protected]
David d’Orton-Gibson - Westbourne & West Cliff - [email protected]
Lesley Dedman - Mudeford, Stanpit & West Highcliffe - [email protected]
Bobbie Dove - Littledown & Iford - [email protected]
Michelle Dower - Kinson - [email protected]
Millie Earl - Newtown, Heatherlands Leader of the Council - [email protected]
Jackie Edwards - Redhill & Northbourne - [email protected]
George Farquhar - Boscombe East & Pokesdown - [email protected]
Duane Farr - Kinson - [email protected]
Anne Filer - East Cliff & Springbourne - [email protected]
David Flagg - Burton & Grange - [email protected]
Matthew Gillett - Talbot & Branksome Woods - [email protected]
Crispin Goodall - Parkstone - [email protected]
Andy Hadley - Poole Town - [email protected]
Jeff Hanna - West Southbourne - [email protected]
Richard Herrett - Wallisdown & Winton West - [email protected]
Paul Hilliard - Mudeford, Stanpit & West Highcliffe - [email protected]
Brian Hitchcock - Hamworthy - [email protected]
Mark Howell - Poole Town - [email protected]
Alasdair Keddie - Queens Park - [email protected]
Marion Le Poidevin - Newtown & Heatherlands - [email protected]
Dawn Logan - Talbot & Branksome Wood - [email protected]
Sandra Mackrow - Newtown & Heatherlands - [email protected]
Andy Martin - Highcliffe & Walkford - [email protected]
David Martin - Highcliffe & Walkford - [email protected]
Gillian Martin - Boscombe West - [email protected]
Jamie Martin - Bournemouth Central - [email protected]
Chris Matthews - Canford Heath - [email protected]
Simon McCormack - Burton & Grange - [email protected]
Pete Miles - Oakdale - [email protected]
Sandra Moore - Canford Heath - [email protected]
Anne-Marie Moriarty - East Cliff & Springbourne - [email protected]
Bernadette Nanovo - East Southbourne & Tuckton - [email protected]
Lisa Northover - Muscliff & Strouden Park - [email protected]
Emily Pankhurst - Parkstone - [email protected]
Rachel Pattinson-West - Alderney & Bourne Valley - [email protected]
Margret Phipps - Commons - [email protected]
Karen Rampton - Talbot & Branksome Woods - [email protected]
Dr Felicity Rice - Oakdale - [email protected]
Judy Richardson - East Southbourne & Tuckton - [email protected]
Vanessa Ricketts - Commons - [email protected]
Chris Rigby - Winton East - [email protected]
Joe Salmon - Moordown - [email protected]
Kate Salmon - Moordown - [email protected]
Peter Sidaway - Broadstone - [email protected]
Paul Slade - Creekmoor - [email protected]
Toby Slade - Muscliffe & Strouden Park - [email protected]
Vikki Slade - Broadstone - [email protected]
Michael Tarling - Christchurch Town - [email protected]
Tony Trent - Alderney & Bourne Valley - [email protected]
Oliver Walters - Penn Hill - [email protected]
Clare Weight - Canford Heath - [email protected]
Lawerence Wiliams - Littledown & Iford - [email protected]
Kieron Wilson - Muscliffe & Strouden Park - [email protected]
Gavin Wright - Canford Cliffs - [email protected]
MPs for the area
Tom Hayes - Bournemouth East - [email protected]
Jessica Toale - Bournemouth West - [email protected]
Neil Duncan Jordan - Poole - [email protected]
Christopher Chope - Christchurch - [email protected]
If you’re area isn’t listed you can find them here: https://democracy.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/mgMemb
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