Bauer Media Outdoor has launched the next evolution of its pioneering Milestone bus shelter range in Bournemouth, unveiling two new ‘All-Timber’ Nest shelters, alongside a documentary film and commissioned spoken word poem. Together, they tell the story behind one of the UK’s most ambitious Out of Home infrastructure projects.
Located on the Bournemouth seafront, the installation marks the first deployment of the latest Milestone design – which replaces the low carbon concrete bench and planter with timber versions – in the UK. The new shelters represent another step forward in Bauer Media Outdoor’s ambition to reimagine public transport infrastructure as Out of Home advertising continues to help fund innovation that delivers tangible community and environmental benefits.
Documentary brings the Milestone story to life
To mark the launch, Bauer Media Outdoor has released Milestone: From Forest Floor to Street, a short documentary charting the journey behind the shelters and the collaboration of UK-based designers, craftspeople, and manufacturers who brought the groundbreaking project to life.
The film follows the story of the shelters from responsibly managed forests in northeast Scotland through to their installation on the streets, highlighting how locally sourced materials, British manufacturing, and collaborative design can create more sustainable and inclusive public infrastructure.
A creative celebration of everyday journeys
Bauer Media Outdoor also commissioned spoken word artist Annotate to create and perform “Redefining the Wait”, a poem celebrating the transformation of everyday travel into a more comfortable, sustainable, and community-focused experience.
The poem reflects the vision behind the new shelters – reimagining them not simply as functional infrastructure, but as meaningful public spaces and a “genre defining statement”.
Ben Hope, Marketing Director at Bauer Media Outdoor UK, said: “Milestone is the range for change and Bournemouth marks an exciting new chapter in its journey. These shelters demonstrate how advertising-funded public assets can create lasting social and environmental impact. The documentary and spoken word poem bring that story to life, celebrating the people, craftsmanship, and innovation behind the product.”
Reimagining the bus shelter
Developed following extensive research with more than 3,200 bus users and disability organisations, including Scope and Thomas Pocklington Trust, Milestone has been designed from the ground up to improve passenger accessibility, comfort, safety and protection from the weather, while minimizing carbon emissions.
The shelters combine engineered timber construction, living roofs and planters with biodiversity enhancing plants, improved seating and lighting, alongside new safety features, with up to a 71% reduction in CO2e when compared to traditional metal shelters.
The Bournemouth installation builds on the successful launch of the Milestone range in Basildon in 2025, bringing the total number of Milestone shelters in the UK to 20, with European expansion under way too. Bauer Media Outdoor recently launched the Milestone shelters in two cities in Denmark, with ambitions to expand across more UK and European locations this year and beyond.
