RESIDENTS and local business owners are being invited to have their say in shaping the future of local high streets across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. BCP Council, which is leading a programme to reimagine all 19 high streets across the conurbation, has launched an online interactive map – inviting people to share ideas on what they think these high streets should look like. Councillor Philip Broadhead, deputy leader of BCP Council and member for regeneration and economy, said: “So many people have ideas about how they want to see their high streets function in the future and this is an ideal opportunity to create a bigger conversation that everyone can be part of and contribute towards.
An aerial view of Poole on May 20, 2020. Picture by Stephen Bath. Pilot Jeremy Carpenter A GRANT of £12.4 million has been awarded to BCP Council to protect huge areas of Poole from flooding. The Environment Agency has handed over the Flood Defence Grant for tidal flood defences along roughly 1.5km of waterfront at Back Water Channel. It will protect parts of Poole town centre, the Old Town and new developments in the Twin Sails regeneration area from flood risk for the next 100 years. If nothing is done it is estimated that damage over the next 100 years could cost £161 million. Working in conjunction with landowners, developers, the Environment Agency, Poole Harbour Commissioners and other relevant organisations, these plans will complete the provision of permanent flood defences in this area. Currently this remaining undefended water frontage relies on emergency temporary flood defences.
Bill Gates, Mark Carney and others warn us climate change is a much bigger threat than Covid. Risks of feed-back loops, domino-type feedbacks and runaway climate change need to be avoided. Atmospheric carbon needs to return to 280 parts per million CO2 for safety. We are now at 417ppm and rising. We can all, especially representatives, help do something about this. I noted East Dorset Friends of the Earth’s criticism of BCP’s shockingly delayed, inadequate response to the climate and biodiverity crises. The portfolio holder for regeneration, economy and strategic planning, deputy leader of BCP Council, Philip Broadhead, did not answer my question.