Bournemouth Nightlife in crisis?

[Mike]

(From Daily Echo)

LOVE it or hate it, Bournemouth's pub and club scene has been a talking point for more than a decade.

It was 1997 when the influential Muzik magazine described the resort "Britain's new clubbing capital", helping the town shed its blue rinse reputation.

Over the next few years there was an explosion of restaurants, pubs, clubs and lap dancing venues.

Up to 50,000 people were said to be in town on Saturday nights and in the summer months, hundreds of hen and stag parties arrived.

Business was booming for taxi firms, takeaways and guest houses.

But such success comes at a price and Bourne-mouth's booming night-time trade was soon making headlines for the wrong reasons. With 24-hour licensing, national papers discovered the council had approved every application for a round-the-clock licence and the Daily Mirror christened Bournemouth "the most notorious party town in the country".

Tourism chiefs described the negative publicity as "a kick in the teeth" but many residents and councillors agreed the situation was out of hand.

In a bid to gain control the council's licensing committee decided all licences for new town centre venues would be refused unless operator could prove their venue would not increase disorder.

Police are now requesting a 2am deadline for entry to bars and clubs to ease the pressure on their resources and tackle alcohol-fuelled violence.

Last year's smoking ban and wet weather also hit operators hard, while business rates, rents and insurance costs rose.

Add that it is now cheaper than ever to buy drink from a supermarket and licensees believe their bubble has burst.

Richard Carr, whose Bournemouth venues include Wiggle, Toko, Bliss, Jimmy's and Crank, said the number of venues for sale was a sign of how bad things had got. "I should think virtually every bar in Bournemouth is on the market," he said. "Mine are not openly on the market but I'd be an active seller if I could find a buyer."

He said no one appreciated just how much the night-time economy contributes to the town.

"What people forget is the direct correlation between the night-time economy and the success of Bournemouth University. By diminishing the night-time economy, you also diminish the university. Hotels are also be affected when the night-time economy is less vibrant."

Alan Dove, chair of Bournemouth's Town Watch partnership, told councillors yesterday: "Whether you love it or hate it, the night-time economy is a vital, pivotal part of Bournemouth's economy. Without it, we might as well just pack up and go home as a town in my view."

He said Bournemouth needed to concentrate on selling its strength, rather than looking to "beat itself up" all the time. "Brand Bournemouth has a problem," he said. "We have lost our way a little bit. We're beating ourselves up with control issues and not paying enough attention on trying to grow Bournemouth."
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[Janet]

Its a shame so many pubs are going bust in Bournemouth, but I bet the police will be pleased, less overtime to pay out on Friday and Saturday nights, looking after all the jolly revellers