SHOPFRONTS are to get a facelift as part of the continued effort to regenerate Boscombe.
Work has already begun on 15 buildings to “protect the heritage” of shops in the high street, funded by the Towns Fund.
BCP Council was awarded £21.7million by the government to regenerate the Bournemouth town with 10 major projects.
A spokesman for Boscombe Regeneration said: “One of the key things our Boscombe locals highlighted as important to them was protecting the heritage of the high street.
“As part of the Better Boscombe funding, 15 shopfronts will be replaced or refreshed to be in keeping with the stunning local architecture that can be seen in our community.
“The first shopfront to get a facelift was Superdrug, where the facade was painted to enable projections to have maximum effect. It looks pretty good if we say so ourselves.”
Other projects included 68 new flats, a medical and community centre and retail kiosks built in Hawkwood Road car park which was given planning approval by the council earlier this year.
But with that, just 51 car parking spaces will be left – a loss of 377 parking spaces, as the area would be built over.
Free public Wi-Fi along the seafront, Boscombe Crescent, Churchill Gardens, Kings Park and AFC Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium have also been introduced.
And there is also promenade ‘business park’ made up of three shipping containers aiming to give start-up businesses a hand.
But so far the £140,000 scheme is more than a year late launching, despite the council claiming 30 businesses were interested last year, and is expected to launch later this year, although a date is not confirmed yet.
Despite all that’s going on to improve Boscombe and the appearance of the high street, some residents have been underwhelmed so far.
As reported, including shopper Rosemary Shaw, 71, said she “hasn’t seen any real difference” adding the streets “are still dirty, with chewing gum all over the floor”.
Trader David ‘Mose’, of Smokey Mose Hot Potatoes, said: “I hear a lot, I read a lot, but I don’t see a lot.”
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