Southbourne · Keep our community together
SaveSOBO Beach
Keep our community together.
SOBO Beach has become much more than a beach venue. It has become a place for swimmers, families, community groups, wellbeing, charity fundraising and people who simply need somewhere to connect.
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Show your support for the future of SOBO Beach and its community.
The beach · The people
Why SOBO Beach Matters
SOBO Beach has become much more than a beach venue. It is a community space on the Southbourne seafront: a place for swimmers, families, community groups, wellbeing, charity fundraising and people who simply need somewhere to connect.
Not a venue that comes alive for the summer and shuts for the winter, but a place people return to day in, day out, all year round.
Meet the community →
Real place. Real people.
SOBO Beach’s statement
The Situation
Following the BCP Cabinet meeting last week, we’ve been inundated with queries and concerns about the future of SOBO Beach. In response to these communications, we wanted to help clear up some rumours, give you the facts as stated by the council, and share our concerns with you and what you can do if you are concerned.
The situation as it stands:
BCP have run a tender process for the future 20 year operation of the site.
This process was supposed to be completed by 31 July 2026.
Delays have meant the process still isn’t concluded, with approval required from full council before the decision is formally announced.
As is now public knowledge, SOBO Beach is not the preferred bidder. The reasons given in the BCP Cabinet report included ‘highest guaranteed and projected rental income, strong covenant strength, significant hospitality experience, established local presence’.
SOBO Beach says
Why SOBO Beach Is Concerned
What concerns us immediately is that due to the process running late any new operator is unlikely to be in a position to open a new beachside venue for some time.
Our lease expires on
31 October
2026
31 July 2026
The date the tender process was supposed to be completed.
13 October
Councillors vote at a meeting about the future of the site.
31 October 2026
SOBO Beach’s lease expires.
1 December
The new tenant will have access to the site but does not have any planning permission in place to develop.
Planning permission
15
months
When we applied for planning permission it took 15 months to secure it.
Our community
More Than A Beach Venue
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.
YEAR-ROUND SWIMMERS
Groups of swimmers use the sea day in day out, all year round.
COMMUNITY GROUPS
Veterans Support Groups, SEND parents groups, Men’s Mental Health groups, Mum’s support groups, and many more.
CHARITY FUNDRAISING
Winter is when we do a lot of fundraising, supporting Sleep Out to Help Out, the Southbourne Foodbank, the Southbourne Surf Lifesaving Club, Dorset Mind and others.
WELLBEING & CONNECTION
A respite from the world, or a connection to others. Peace, if only for a short time at the beach.
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.
SOBO Beach’s view
A Different Way Forward
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, whilst the council carries out a new tender in a better timescale to allow any operator to get planning permission in place to start development, without shutting the site indefinitely.
If the site closes before planning is in place then it is a mistake that could have been avoided.
The campaign’s position
Your councillor has the opportunity to vote to prevent this on 13th October.
WHAT YOU CAN DO →Take action
What Can You Do?
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 any grounds, including the following:
THE TIMING
The timing of the process has been flawed and should be paused so it can be run properly.
PLANNING PERMISSION
The site should not be closed until planning permission has been achieved.
TRANSPARENCY
Councillors should have the opportunity to review the process so they can assure the public that it has been run correctly.
PUBLIC CONCERN
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.
Councillor contact
Make Your Voice Heard
Councillors are the ones who vote. Tell them what SOBO Beach means to you.
Write to your councillors in one click
Add your name and area (optional) and we’ll fill in SOBO Beach’s template letter for you, addressed to both councillors. You can read and edit it in your email app before sending. Nothing is sent from this website.
If your email app cuts the draft short, use “Copy the letter” and paste it in.
Preview the letter
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]
Millie Earl
Millie.Earl@bcpcouncil.gov.ukRichard Herrett
richard.herrett@bcpcouncil.gov.ukDownload a Template Email
A ready-to-edit letter you can adapt and send to your councillor.
DOWNLOAD EMAIL TEMPLATEOutside of BCP? You can still show your concern.
Email the leader of BCP & express your concern considering you travel to our location.
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