A SCHEME which will partially re-create Weymouth’s old High Street has been picked as the favourite option for the North Quay former council offices site.

The choice was almost universal at Tuesday’s borough council management committee.

Magna Housing is expected to bring a mix of homes for older people, shared ownership homes, small shops, a cafe and a limited amount of parking to the harbourside site.

The proposal also has the backing of Weymouth Civic Society although it has some reservations about building heights and suggests that there should be more public parking.

The final details about site layout and specific agreements will be made by the new Dorset Council in the months to come.

Borough council leader Jeff Cant said that despite developers offering more for the site the council would be sticking to the Magna offer, provided the authority can win a £3million Homes England grant to clear the site.

Developer Nigel Ewens claimed that the borough council was wrong not to consider bigger bids: “This is a significant missed opportunity. Magna is a noble company with a noble cause but this is the wrong location for what is on offer,” he said.

He claimed that the council could get more than £6million for the site and would need to spend £3million to level it before development started – money which, he said, would be better used elsewhere for social housing.

But not everyone was happy with knocking down the former council building: Resident Reg Johnson said it would be more environmentally sustainable to re-use the building. He complained it should have been offered as an option during the public consultation with consideration given to converting the former offices to a high end hotel.

“I believe the council is rushing through a decision under the duress of a self-impose deadline. The successor council might be better placed to make a decision,” he said.

Most councillors on the committee were happy to see the building go and all who spoke were in favour of the outline plan known as Option 1, the design preferred by the Civic Society and which won the most votes in a public consultation.

Council leader Jeff Cant said he was among the backers of the option and ruled out other developers: “We are not in a position to consider any others. It is not open to further debate about other options,” he said.

Details of the other bids were included in a confidential paper which councillors discussed after clearing the room following their vote for the favoured Magna option and giving consent for officers to continue negotiating with Magna and Homes England.

During the session which was open most committee members called for more public parking on the site. Cllr Alison Reed said that with the closure of the parking behind Brewery Square the next nearest car park was at the Nothe which many people would find too far away.

“When we lose the car parking at the council offices as well it will make it ten times more difficult,” she said.

Cllr Colin Huckle suggested extra spaces could be provided under the new buildings, or by reducing the width of the road and putting more bays along the harbourside.

Cllr Jon Orrell said he backed the idea of some parking under the new buildings, but said that as a Green councillor he found himself “conflicted” over the development, also wishing to see old buildings put to good use, where possible.

He pointed to the former accommodation blocks at Portland which he said were ugly under Navy ownership but, now converted, provided attractive homes.

“I would ask if any of the existing structure could be re-used,” he said.

A report says that the borough council will be responsible for the demolition of the former council offices, site clearance and enabling works although this will depend on gaining the Homes England grant for what are described as ‘abnormal site costs.’

A council minute before councillors deals with the authority’s policy on developing the site. It reads – “ It was identified that there was still market interest in the site from a variety of potential purchasers and there was the opportunity to still achieve a significant capital receipt with a sale on this basis. Members acknowledged this but determined that none of these options delivered an optimum solution for their wider aspirations.”

Mr Ewens has dispute this and claimed after the meeting that several of the alternative bids ‘ticked all the boxes.”