Save SOBO Beach wants the 26 October standstill extended to 30 November so no 20-year Southbourne lease is signed before an independent review ends.
The campaign that gathered more than 10,800 signatures for SOBO Beach has asked BCP Council not to sign a new 20-year lease for the Southbourne Promenade site until an independent review of how the operator was chosen has finished.
On Thursday 15 October, Save SOBO Beach sent an urgent request to the council’s Audit and Governance Committee asking for two safeguards:
- an extension of the procurement standstill to 30 November 2026, “or another lawful arrangement preventing contractual execution while scrutiny progresses”;
- a further Full Council resolution requiring the independent review to be completed, its findings considered and “a further lawful decision taken before any binding twenty-year agreement is entered into”.
The published standstill, the pause before the council can sign the contract, is due to end on 26 October, according to the campaign. It says neither request should be treated as approved until the council formally confirms it.
What Full Council decided on Tuesday
Full Council met on 13 October with the Southbourne Promenade lease on its agenda. The campaign presented its petition at the meeting. According to its account of the evening, councillors debated the item for nearly three hours.
The campaign says the council:
- approved the new long-term lease;
- agreed to offer the current SOBO Beach operator a further 11 months, until 30 September 2027, subject to the arrangements being finalised;
- referred the procurement for further scrutiny.
The council’s minutes of the meeting have not yet been published. The Cabinet report that went to councillors had said the current lease ends on 31 October and the new operator would take over from 1 December 2026.
The campaign’s concern is the order of events. It says the amendment councillors passed “does not require that review to be completed before the long-term contract is signed”.
Who the council has picked
The Cabinet papers did not name the preferred bidder. The campaign says the council has since publicly named Seventa Events Limited as its preferred bidder for the 20-year concession.
The campaign stresses that its argument is with the council, not the company. In its campaign update it says: “Our campaign continues without prejudice to Seventa or any other bidder. Our questions are directed at BCP Council, its decision-making process and whether it has upheld its own policies and commitments.”
The 2% question
The campaign’s central complaint is about how the tender was scored. It says 50% of the evaluation went to council income and capital investment, while the dedicated social and community benefits criterion counted for “a nominal 2%” of the final assessment. Those weightings are not in the public council papers, which keep the bids and evaluation in confidential appendices.
The campaign also points to BCP’s Financial Regulations, in force since April 2026. In a template letter it has published for supporters to send to councillors, it says those regulations set “a conditional minimum 10% allocation for relevant economic, social and environmental considerations”.
It wants an independent review to examine:
- whether residents and other stakeholders were consulted before the tender requirements were set;
- how the council’s Seafront Strategy was applied;
- whether social and community value was properly weighed;
- how the financial sustainability of a 20-year coastal operation was tested.
The revised Seafront Strategy went to the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Board in July 2024. The minutes of that meeting record that the “temporary offering” at SOBO Beach “had proved incredibly popular”, and that it was acknowledged “the Council didn’t have the balance right before in ensuring that residents and beach users were consulted”.
In the campaign’s words
Dan Astin-Gregory, co-founder of Save SOBO Beach, said:
“We’re delighted that SOBO has the prospect of another summer. The response from the community has been extraordinary, and it’s wonderful to see what people can achieve when they come together.
“But we haven’t forgotten why we started asking questions in the first place. BCP Council has made commitments about community involvement, social value and the future of our coastline.”
The campaign’s update, published the same day, puts it more bluntly: “BCP Council already has a Seafront Strategy, procurement policies and commitments to public engagement, social value and responsible development. Our question is simple: have those commitments actually been honoured? Despite repeated enquiries, significant questions remain unanswered.”
It adds: “These decisions could shape Southbourne Promenade for a generation. The public deserves transparent answers.”
What happens next
The campaign says it will meet before the end of this week to plan its next phase. It is looking at forming a more formal campaign group, how to fund its work, and “whether there may be ways for the community to help SOBO Beach with legal costs, should that become necessary”. It also says it will publish the questions it has put to the council, the answers it has had and what remains unanswered.
Save SOBO Beach describes itself as an independent community campaign. Its website says it is not run by, affiliated with or endorsed by SOBO Beach or its owners.
What it means for you
- SOBO Beach regulars: the campaign says the venue can keep trading until 30 September 2027 once the arrangements are finalised. That would replace the month’s gap between 31 October and 1 December set out in the Cabinet papers. No final terms have been published.
- The 20-year lease: it has been approved but, as far as the public record shows, not yet signed. The key date is 26 October, when the published standstill ends unless the council extends it.
- Having your say: the petition is now closed. The campaign’s contact details and updates are on savesobo.com, and your ward councillors for East Southbourne and Tuckton are listed on the council’s website.
We reported the original Cabinet recommendation in SoBo Beach and WestBeach: Council Picks Unnamed Bidders. For more on decisions across the district, see our Bournemouth planning news.
Have your say