Brewers Quay and Weymouth Train station among projects calling for 'levelling up' cash
Dorset Council are seeking funding for seven projects in total
Dorset Council's narrowed down which projects in Weymouth and Portland its putting forward to be considered for government funding.
Residents and local organisations were asked to submit schemes for the 'levelling up' fund.
Dorset Council will be putting 7 projects forward.
The following potential projects are what Dorset Council are submitting bids for:
Weymouth Harbourside Regeneration: Peninsula, North Quay and Brewers Quay
- Investigation and preparation work to enable regeneration of the Peninsula.
- North Quay requires rebuilding of harbour walls, demolition of existing structures and land decontamination to de-risk the site and enable private sector investment for development.
- Regeneration of Brewers Quay for mixed use development, including residential, commercial, community and museum uses.
Weymouth Train Station Access
Proposal for a new 80m long pedestrian / cycling bridge adjacent to the B3155 Swannery Bridge to connect to existing pedestrian and cycle paths either side of Radipole Lake. This will improve access to the town centre, train station and seafront areas. The new bridge would connect the Rodwell Trail and routes to the train station and the Esplanade at Jubilee Clock.
Proposal also includes completion of 100m of cycleway on King Street, a 'pocket park' on a section of disused railway and making Park Street two-way for cyclists. These works would complement the planned Weymouth Railway Station Gateway enhancements.
Weymouth College: Digital Media Hub
Proposal to create a digital media hub by building a new facility on the Cranford Avenue site. The new digital media hub would provide circa 1,200m2 of space dedicated to innovative development and design in digital production and technology.
English Aquaculture Innovation Centre (AIC)
The AIC will bring businesses and people together as a place for knowledge exchange and collaborative working, creating an environment of excellence in aquaculture. Provision of co-ordinated access to different sectors that could apply new technology, materials, or equipment to aquaculture.
Voices to Stone
Creation of Memory Stones, geological walk through time, Drill Hall Spotlight Exhibition, and amphitheatre/performance space on Portland.
Others include Transport Feasibility Studies, for strategic road and rail scheme development and low carbon buses and infrastructure, and demand-responsive public transport.
Cllr Tony Ferrari, Dorset Council's Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, said:
"I want to thank everyone who took the time to submit their proposals for local projects which could be included in our funding bid. We've considered them all and picked the ones that we feel stand the best chance of securing funding according to what Government are seeking for this particular scheme.
"We would have loved to have added more items; Many of the ideas we have not taken forward in this instance were excellent. I hope people will agree that the items we will be bidding for are excellent too, even if their own preferred project didn't get onto the list. We won't be discarding the other suggestions, as the Government has run a number of bids recently and those ideas may be suitable to bid for in future rounds."
Dorset Council will issue more details about the projects over the next few weeks before the Mid-June deadline.