IF the shoppers were concerned, they didn't show it. Just over a week ago, the entire lower level car park at Bournemouth's Castlepoint closed without warning, following long-running problems with falling concrete.

It brought the wrong kind of headlines to a £200 million retail complex which was heralded as "new phase in UK retailing" when it opened 18 months ago.

Acres of green netting are now swathed across every inch of the car park's concrete beams, extra metal supports surround some of the pillars and the car park problems are the main topic of conversation among nearby residents.

Yet shoppers remain undaunted.

At 10.30am on Saturday May 14, the upper deck of the car park was full and attendants were directing visitors to spare spaces on the bottom level.

There was no repeat of the chaos of the previous weekend, when cars queued along Castle Lane and many motorists turned around in frustration.

And if shoppers were concerned by the 600 spaces still cordoned off, they didn't show it.

"I'm quite happy to shop here," said local resident Gina Scott. "I came here last week when it was all closed and I did debate turning round and going home.

"But it's much better now and I'm sure they've weighed up all the pros and cons. They wouldn't open it if it wasn't safe."

And Brenda Coombe, of Moordown, said: "It's free parking isn't it? That makes Castlepoint much more convenient than town for us.

"We come here every Saturday and that won't change. I must admit I can't see what good the netting is going to do but it doesn't bother me that much."

Castlepoint is operated by Standard Life Investments, which hopes to have the entire lower deck car park open by the end of this week.

For this to happen, health and safety assessors will have to approve the remedial work carried out and Standard Life is quick to point out that the car park was only closed as a precautionary measure in the first place.

Eddie Fell, of Christchurch, said he was happy with the safety measures put in place. "I'm going to keep on shopping here. It's much more convenient and I've had no problems parking today."

But Chris Scott, who was at Castlepoint to see someone in one of the shops, said: "If I didn't need to come here, the problems might have put me off. I think the traffic problems would be my main concern, although the netting doesn't look too good."

Standard Life has refused to be drawn on the issue of paying compensation to retailers, confirming only that the subject is under discussion.

The manager at Barratts shoe shop said she couldn't comment on trade patterns but said: "Centre management have been really, really good at keeping us informed every step of the way."

First published: May 16