The Bournemouth One News Centre

All the news you need for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole with travel information and national headlines.

• Dorset Council testing AI planning tool

  Dorset Council is helping test a new AI tool aimed at speeding up decisions on home improvement planning applications.

• Residents remain evacuated after device found

  Residents in Christchurch are facing a third day away from their homes after police found a suspected explosive device.

• New Poole exhibition celebrates colour

  A major new art exhibition is coming to Poole Museum this summer. Life in Full Colour: The Art of Jason Wilsher-Mills will run from next month until Sunday the third of January next year. The exhibition will include sculptures, inflatables, digital artworks and wallpaper, alongside new pieces inspired by Poole’s maritime heritage and the museum’s figureheads. Jason’s work is shaped by his own life, including a childhood illness that left him paralysed for a year and led him to paint using his mouth. The museum says accessibility will be central to the exhibition, with large print guides, easy read guides, audio interpretation and a wellbeing space.

• KFC seeks late licence in Christchurch

  A KFC branch in Christchurch is seeking permission to serve refreshments overnight. The licensing application has been submitted to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council for the branch on Lyndhurst Road. If approved, the licence would allow late night refreshments to be served indoors and outdoors, seven days a week. Members of the public can support, object to, or comment on the application before Tuesday the seventh of July. Representations can be sent to BCP Council’s Licensing Team by email or by post.

• Mentor scheme to support new BCP tenants

  A new volunteer mentor scheme is being launched to support people moving on from homelessness. Home Support Together will match trained volunteers with people who have recently moved into accommodation, helping them settle in, build confidence and maintain their tenancy. Residents across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole are being encouraged to get involved, with flexible volunteering of a couple of hours each week. Drop-in sessions will be held at libraries in Poole, Creekmoor, Kinson, Bournemouth and Rossmore between Monday the twenty-second of June and Tuesday the fourteenth of July. BCP Council says volunteers will receive training, support and DBS checks, with no previous experience needed.