A NEW, permanent facility for Weymouth Museum is set to be established at Brewers Quay following agreement from councillors.

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council’s Management Committee voted to approve a report that would see Weymouth Museum Trust manage and maintain the borough collection alongside the new development.

WPBC will give the Trust an £88,000 grant for the new facility, which will be released when the organisation’s lease on the premises from Brewers Quay Investments (BQI) commences.

The money would come from reserves already earmarked for the museum, which originally totalled £100,000.

Grants from the reserves have already been issued in order to cover legal fees and to assist in securing further funding for the project from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The new proposals would see the museum expanded to occupy four floors in the historic Brewers Quay building with a new gallery and café.

The estimated cost of the overall development is around £300,000.

Cllr Jason Osborne told the committee that he thought the plans were a “positive move” for the council and that the new museum would be “a good way to show the collection”.

WPBC will be a party to the lease arrangements with a view to including a provision for the council to take ownership of the lease in the event that the Trust becomes insolvent.

BQI has also agreed to provide financial support to aid with the relocation of the borough collection.

Cllr Christine James, who is a director of Weymouth Museum Trust, said: “This has gone on for so long and it all relies on the development actually happening.”

Plans for a multi-million pound Brewers Quay development fell through in 2012 when the project was put on hold indefinitely.

At that time, the museum was forced to withdraw an existing application for a HLF grant that had already passed the first stage of the process.

Cllr James Farquharson said the new museum will be a “brilliant attraction” for visitors.