COUNCIL chiefs are pressing ahead with plans to regenerate the area around Weymouth Harbour as proposals are put forward to demolish a key site to free it up for future development.
A planning application has been submitted to demolish the building of a former bowling alley in Weymouth town centre.
MFA Bowl in St Nicholas Street was a much loved venue for locals and tourists alike, shut down in 2019.
The application from site owners Dorset Council, much like the consent to demolish the former council offices at North Quay, focuses only on the demolition of the former bowling alley.
No firm decision about the future of this site has been agreed, although the planning application suggests that the site could become a ‘temporary surface car park.’
A previous planning vision envisaged affordable homes on the site. If the application for demolition is approved, it will make a 'significant contribution' to Dorset Council's ambition to regenerate Weymouth’s waterside economy, its spokesman for property and assets said.
Councillor Andrew Parry said the bowling alley project - along with the ongoing demolition of the former Weymouth and Portland Borough Council offices at North Quay and the Quayside Regeneration project at the other end of the harbour - will 'make considerable contributions to the local economy'.
As site owners, the council currently leases the existing car park to Euro Car Parks.
A spokesperson for Dorset Council said: “The decision on how we will manage the whole site is still to be made.
“A lease allows us to seek vacant passion at short notice when we decide to develop or dispose of the site,” they added.
The site could also be of great archaeological significance as excavations, carried out in May 2022 by Context One Heritage & Archaeology, found the remains of a house from the late 1200s, which could be one of the earliest in the town.
Money for this project is part of the £19.5m levelling up funding and ‘other grants’ the council secured.
A Dorset Council spokesperson said that ‘up to date information’ about the cost of the demolition is unavailable, but it will be made apparent once all invoices for the work are received and reconciled with the budget.
Weymouth's bowling alley appeared to have a bright future when it was saved by Midlands-based Disco Bowl in 2019.
However, a month later it was found to need £200k of roof repairs forcing its closure.
The leasehold of the 18,309 square foot building was placed on the market for £12,500 per month in 2020, 18-months after its closure, but did attract any interest to the site.
Dorset Council had freehold of the site, and took over the lease in January 2022. As they worked on completing the leasehold for the site back in 2021, plans were drawn up for 59 flats as well as four residential units.
Cllr Parry, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Property and Assets, said:
“Should this planning application to demolish Weymouth Bowl be approved by the committee it will contribute significantly to our ambition to regenerate Weymouth’s waterside economy.
"From the £19.5m Levelling Up Funding and other grants we’ve secured; Dorset Council is investing big sums of money in Weymouth right now.
“Demolition work is continuing at pace and on schedule at North Quay, and at the other end of Weymouth Harbour, the Quayside Regeneration project is now well underway to provide improved facilities for our harbour businesses, all of which make considerable contributions to the local economy.”
People can have their say on the proposals by submitting comments on the Dorset Council website using reference P/FUL/2023/06544.
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