MP warns extension for beach in Southbourne is only a delay
Bournemouth East MP says the reprieve does not change the outcome
A popular seafront venue in Southbourne has been given an 11-month lease extension after a campaign backed by more than 10,000 people.
Councillors voted to approve the extension for SOBO Beach on Southbourne Promenade at a full council meeting of BCP Council on Tuesday 13th October.
The move allows the venue to trade through next summer.
Bournemouth East MP Tom Hayes welcomed the decision but said the extension is merely a delay to the same outcome.
MP's reaction
Mr Hayes said: "Let's not pretend that this is a win for local democracy. This is an 11-month delay to the same outcome."
"Councillors claiming a win for the community haven't been listening. Their council agreed to this climbdown because of a huge campaign by thousands of residents. But, why, time and time again, are we being forced to spend so much time fighting so hard just to be heard."
"The concern has always been about a procurement process started late in the day when SOBO have been crying out for certainty for some time. The concern has been about the council's failure to truly listen to our community when the opportunity was there."
"My heart goes out to all involved with SOBO Beach, who have poured time, energy, and passion into the business. They planted a seed and a community grew up around them. They, and our community, deserve better, and I'll continue to stand alongside them and fight for our community."
SOBO Beach thanks supporters
SOBO Beach has thanked the community for its support after the vote.
Rich Slater, operations manager at SOBO Beach, said:
"We're so grateful to everyone for their support we really cannot express enough how much it means to us. Dan & Ben have gone to such lengths to fight for us and the community they deserve a medal."
"There was a lot said last night, and it's going to take time to review all of it, so we will have a statement on the results in coming days."
In a wider public statement, SOBO said: "From all of us at Team SOBO. We want to take a moment to say a huge, heartfelt thank you to Dan Astin-Gregory and Ben Clark for everything they've done over the past week, and to every single person who has signed, shared, spoken up, shown up, sent a message or simply let us know what SOBO means to you."
"We've felt that love more than we can put into words. There's a lot for us to digest and a lot of emotions to process."
"But in the meantime, SOBO is still SOBO."