PICTURES: Demolition of former council building in Weymouth well underway
The former council offices at North Quay are due to be gone by the end of next month
A former council building in Weymouth is expected to be completely demolished by the end of February.
The demolition process at North Quay began in the weeks leading up to Christmas and remains ‘on track’ despite work coming to a halt for the festive season.
The former council office building has been dormant since 2017, costing Dorset Council an estimated £110,000 to maintain each year.
Councillor Andrew Parry told us why it’s taken six year to reach this point: "It was recognised very early on that the North Quay premises would be surplus to requirements, but these are lengthy processes and when the disposal of council assets need to be thoroughly scrutinised.”
A share of £19.5 million will be spent on the land to help redevelop Weymouth as part of the government's Levelling Up Fund.
Going forward the council see this as a “prime site with huge potential” that sits in a “key location” of the town.
But in the meantime, once the building has been demolished, the site will be turned into a temporary car park before decisions are made about its future.
Cllr Parry said: We welcome opportunities to generate revenue and we also acknowledge that there is a requirement for parking.
“We need to understand the parking requirements of Weymouth in the longer term because it's a ‘jewel in the crown’ of the Dorset coast so we want people to be able to access it as easily as possible.
“Using the land as a car park in the interim also gives us the opportunity to look at what comes next.”