PLANS have been submitted to turn the former QinetiQ site in Weymouth in to a care village.

The full planning permission that has been submitted to Weymouth and Portland Borough Council’s planning portal is for an erection of a care village with 195 supported living units, a 60 bed care home, 34 respite hotel suites, medical support facilities, a museum, café, a new promenade along with improved coastal defence measures, gardens and underground parking.

The plan for the former MOD site at Bincleaves has been submitted by company New Care Horizons.

The Echo was given an exclusive first look at plans for the £70million six-acre complex for over 55s in 2013, with plans revealing a modern site.

Most of the facilities, such as the museum and café will be open to the public.

In the plans it is stated that if the proposal goes ahead, 265 permanent jobs could be created.

Plans also state that the site is not at risk of flooding and will not cause significant additional risk of flooding.

An environmental report supplied along with the plans, prepared by Richard Burgess Associates Ltd: Planning and Development Consultants, spoke favourably of the plans and said it is an appropriate location.

The report stated: “The proposal builds on and in many respects is an improvement on the scheme previously granted outline planning permission on the site.

“This is an appropriate location for a care village and indeed the best possible location in an around the borough for such a development.”

Weymouth and Portland Borough councillor James Farquharson said he was looking forward to seeing the plans for the site which has been disused since 2008.

He said: “Safe to say the QinetiQ site was not put together with artistic merit in mind. While Bincleaves has a great history, the current buildings are low-cost, industrial designs and collectively they create a bit of an eyesore.

"I'm interested to find out how the developers propose to improve the look of the area, provide new homes and open the site up to the public so everyone can enjoy the stunning views."

The report also states that it represents an ‘excellent solution to the problem of finding a beneficial use for the redundant former site'.

Proposals also include improvements to coastal defences, including additional rock armour and a raised sea wall and these are said to have been found acceptable by the Environment Agency.

Plans state that the proposed material for the building of the site will be Portland stone.

CONTACT ME:

t: 01305 830982

e: alex.peace

@dorsetecho.co.uk

twitter: @DorsetEchoAlex