New plans for former Ferrybridge Inn in Weymouth
The redevelopment's been stalled for almost a decade
Last updated 2nd Mar 2021
There is fresh hope that work could start this year on the redevelopment of the Ferrybridge Inn for housing – after almost a decade.
It comes after a former planning agent said that the work was certain to start by August 2020.
He said at the time that the pandemic had caused some of the delay but guaranteed that work would start in the summer.
The project is now listed as being in the hands of a new agent and a new development company.
Outline planning permission was first given for the 29-flat development, which includes a café/pub, in October 2015 with another approval in 2018 – followed last year by a request to extend the start date which had been set at three years from the time of consent.
A new application to Dorset Council now asks for what are described as minor changes to the previous design.
In August 2018 the application was in the name of Ferrybridge Developments based at Melbury Sampford. The new application is in the name of Weymouth Ferrybridge Ltd with a c/o address of a new planning agent, based in Bournemouth.
An earlier application for the site was rejected at appeal in July 2013 because of the size and scale of the proposal at the time, with a scaled-down application of four-storeys later being approved, although that attracted ten letters of objection from residents mainly concerned about the height and scale of the proposed building, as well as extra traffic and parking.
The changes now being considered are said to be ‘modest and in the most part contained within the internal courtyard’ centred around improving the light coming into some rooms – mainly by altering doors and windows.
The application documents show a café/pub or restaurant on the Portland Road side of the housing scheme towards the Ferrybridge itself with the apartments designed around an internal courtyard.
Apart from the details of the minor changes being proposed the drawings appear identical to the 2018 consent with no major changes to the outside of the building.