After the news of The Ivy restaurant’s plans to come to Bournemouth town have been pulled, BCP Council has been receiving accusations of neglect and a lack of care.
The town centre is no longer what it used to be, and members of the public are blaming this on the council and their disinterest in keeping the town centre what it once was.
The premium restaurant chain, The Ivy, has been said to have pulled out of opening a new restaurant in the town due to Bournemouth town not ‘aligning to its brand.’
The plans for it’s entrance to Bournemouth were submitted in March of 2022, with the restaurant set up to open in the former New Look unit in the Square.
However, when the space continued to be boarded and no new news was released, residents were quick to note that The Ivy was in fact, not coming to Bournemouth.
BCP Council leader, Vikki Slade took to twitter yesterday where she wrote on social media that she had ‘heard it was cancelled ages ago.’
Tourism and visits to the town have seen an increasingly lower number of visits, with six million fewer visits being made to the towns centre compared to the 2023 Christmas market and displays.
Bournemouth residents have been left disappointed with The Ivy’s news and continue to lose faith in the council and the care for their beloved town centre.
Today, reporters from Buzz news took to the streets of Bournemouth’s town centre where they asked residents their thoughts on the council, and if they still have faith in the team.
Bridge Feelan, and her husband have moved back to Bournemouth recently after living in fellow seaside town, Eastbourne in East Sussex for five years.
When asking how she believes the town is being kept, she said:
“I think the gardens are being kept very well, but obviously, I feel that the highstreets themselves are being majorly let down by not just the council, but landlords, and the goverments also.”
“I mean the councils can’t do every single thing, but at the end of the day, if they start to try and keep it clean and have a positive image, I think things will start to change.”
Demingo De Lores believes that the town has been let down by the council since the Covid 19 pandemic.
Hear what he has to say below!
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