![Weymouth & Portland Borough Council office building [© Neil Owen and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence]](/assets/news_articles/2023/07/1689925500_weymouth-&-portland-borough-council-offices.jpg)
The green light for demolition marks the first phase of a regeneration plan for Weymouth’s waterside economy.
In January this year the Dorset Council was awarded £19.5m levelling up funding (LUF) by government’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC).
The vote was tied six votes for and six against with no abstentions. The chairman of the committee made the deciding vote in favour of planning officers’ recommendations.
North Quay is one of three areas in Weymouth selected for development. The two other sites are the peninsula, the piece of land currently used as car parking beyond the Pavilion, and the town centre.
Approval for demolition enables the council to prepare plans for its long-term future use and market the site to a development partner.
While plans for the site are drawn up, as a short-term measure the site will be levelled and used as a car park.
Demolition is expected to begin later this year and to take 15 weeks to complete. The cost of demolition and creation of a temporary car park on the site is anticipated to be around £600,000 and will be funded through a government grant awarded to Dorset Council in 2021. Some of this funding has already been used to clear the site.
Cllr Andrew Parry, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for property and assets, said: “The council has long held ambitions to kick start Weymouth’s economy, and the approval to demolish the building represents the first step in making those aspirations a reality. We can now press ahead to find the right delivery partner to help us develop plans for the future use of this key waterside location.
“Supporting the long-term vitality of Weymouth’s town centre is one of our key priorities. The substantial levelling up funding awarded by government earlier this year will help us provide much needed homes for local people, create jobs in the construction industry, increase footfall and boost local shops, restaurants and businesses.
“While these schemes will inevitably take some time to come to fruition, I am delighted we are on the way to bringing them to life. I look forward to seeing the positive effect this will have on the town now, and for generations to come.”
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