Works begin on Weymouth's multi-million pound retail park
The Weymouth Gateway Scheme will open next summer
Weymouth is set to get a major boost to it's economy as building works for it's new retail park have started.
Greatest Hits Radio Dorset can confirm, developers LondonMetric and Avercet have given the go ahead for construction on the Weymouth Gateway Scheme to begin on Mercery Road.
The planning application received a unanimous vote of support by Dorset Council back in July.
More jobs for Weymouth
The site is set to create 280 year round, full and part time jobs once it is fully opened.
Local building firm Mildren Construction are leading the works as they also built the Aldi supermarket opposite.
Overall completion date is set for late 2022, but a phase opening will see McDonald's start trading in the middle of summer next year.
Other outlets will include B&M, Dunelm, Costa and McDonald’s as well as an ‘oven ready’ site for future development.
How did LondonMetric and Avercet acquire the land?
LondonMetric Property purchased the final site at Weymouth Gateway in 2017, from New Look. Buying two plots of land either side of Mercery Road.
In Phase 1 (the western plot) - the developers delivered an Aldi foodstore (opened September 2020) and are assisting in the extension to Medisave House. Combined, these represent some 60 permanent jobs.
The Phase 2 (eastern) plot had been allocated as ‘B-Class employment land’ in the Local Plan, but a decade of marketing had failed to attract an occupier. Instead, the developers proposed a retail-led scheme which quickly secured the interest of prospective occupiers including Dunelm, B&M, Costa and McDonald’s.
The proposals secured the support of the business community - including South Dorset Business Advisory Panel, Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce, and the Weymouth BID Board.
88% of 504 people were in support of the consultation, which is nearly 10 times those against it.
Chris Newns, director of Avercet says:
"The benefits assessed by this report are particularly significant for a local economy which has long been susceptible to the seasonal nature of the tourism market and is particularly fragile following the impact of the Covid pandemic.
"We are committed to providing residents with secure, year-round jobs with associated training opportunities and career paths.
"We’re delighted to be progressing our proposals so quickly. Once completed, they will revitalise a site that has been an unproductive brownfield for more than a decade, bringing much-need permanent jobs, investment and economic stimulus to Weymouth.’