AN UPDATED version of one of Bournemouth council’s key planning documents has been described as “an excellent example of how to waste over £21,000 of tax-payers’ money” by a councillor.

Cllr Stephen Bartlett said that the council’s revised town centre vision was “gobbledegook” and questioned the necessity of updating a document which was due to run until 2026.

The Bournemouth Town Centre Vision document was published in 2008 and has been used along with its Town Centre Area Action Plan to guide development.

A draft version has been drawn-up over the last few months and is due to be considered by cabinet members later this year.

Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting of the council, Cllr Bartlett, who is also a member of its planning committee, said that the town centre vision had been “a robust and useful tool” for controlling development and questioned the decision to update it.

“The area action plan has many years to run so I was surprised to learn just before Christmas that a brochure, describing a new Bournemouth vision, had been agreed and published,” he said.

“I understand the work to produce the new vision was commissioned by the executive director for the environment [Bill Cotton] and Cllr [Philip] Broadhead [cabinet member for economic growth].

“The cost of the work carried out thus far, excluding significant council officer time, is approximately £21,000.

“Will he [Cllr John Beesley] agree with me that the document that describes the new vision is a load of gobbledegook and an excellent example of how to waste over £21,000 of hard-earned tax-payers’ money?”

In response, the council leader said that the two documents had been the “catalysts for the many positive changes and the unprecedented growth in inward investment the town has seen during the last 10 years.”

But he said that changing demographics in the town and technological changes had prompted the need to update the strategy.

“What we are doing with this current piece of work is to refresh the vision, particularly the values and principles which make Bournemouth town centre what it is and what it could become in the future,” he said.

“The purpose of this document is to provide updated stakeholders’ opinions, reflecting the economic, social and environmental changes to the town centre 10 years on from when we started.”

A consultation on the updated town centre vision ended earlier this month and a final draft will need to be approved by the council’s cabinet before it is adopted.