Historic Weymouth 'neglected and falling into disrepair'

Heritage campaigners say Dorset Council has missed the opportunity to better protect some of Weymouth’s crumbling historic buildings and says the former Borough Council is equally culpable over historic neglect.

The town’s Civic Society claims that more should be done to ensure that historic buildings are kept in good condition, in some cases by taking a more robust approach to encourage owners to maintain their properties.

A quick inspection in the town, especially at first floor level and above, soon reveals buildings in key streets literally falling to bits, many with trees and shrubbery growing out of roofs, drains and brickwork.

As the Civic Society suggests, hardly a welcoming sight as the town prepares to embark on another tourist season.

In both St Thomas and St Mary Streets examples are not hard to find – what was once Meech’s (above) has splendid ornate stonework up one level, but it now shows cracking and plant growth; towards the harbour the former Boots store (below) until recently had a gaping hole in it – although scaffolding is now up and it is being repaired.

Cast your eyes upwards at the William Henry pub (below) to see broken windows boarded up with chipboard and plant growth in the gutter.

Yet Dorset Council says it is not aware of the condition of these examples and, therefore, is not taking action against the building’s owners to ensure that they are kept in good condition.

Weymouth Civic Society suggest that the council might like to consider being more pro-active.

Said Acting Chair of the Civic Society’s Planning Committee, Graham Perry: "It is very concerning that Dorset Council appear to be unable to fulfil their statutory duty to preserve and enhance Weymouth’s conservation areas.  This is particularly so since, as a tourist destination, it is essential that the town maintain its heritage and appearance.

“We do understand that resources are very restricted and that the problem of dilapidation has now become huge.  However, there are certain key buildings which everyone is aware of that need to be addressed.

“The old ‘Meechs’ shop in St Mary Street is certainly one of these.  The wonderful Gothic Revival façade ought to be a major highlight of our main shopping street and not the eyesore that it currently is. Similarly, it is tragic to see that one of Weymouth’s most important historical buildings, the Assembly Rooms in Trinity Street, continues to be severely neglected.

“While it is accepted that the full enforcement procedure can be time consuming and costly, as Historic England advise, in many cases a written warning of impending action is all that it takes to encourage the owner to undertake the works.”

Fellow Civic Society member Mark Vine has been in communication with Greene King, the owners of the early 17th century Old Assembly Rooms (above), but says any attempts to persuade them to do something results in being “more or less fobbed off” with 'official' responses and promises of action as to its resurrection.

Said Mr Vine: “This building is vital if Weymouth is to retain any semblance of still being an historic town to visit.

"It was right in the thick of the fighting during the Battle of Weymouth, February 27th 1645, where 250 Irish royalist soldiers died, quite literally right outside its walls in the cold waters of Weymouth Quay and in the following Century, King George III and his family loved to visit it and spend time there...so to see it being allowed to fall into such a shameful state of disrepair is absolutely heart breaking and not to be tolerated.”

He said that if there is any doubt about local interest in the town’s heritage the recent archaeological excavations at North Quay showed just how much Weymouth residents love their history when, more than 500 turned up at the Dig's Open Day in winter to view the finds and walk around the site.

“Whether it is the responsibility of Dorset Council or the Town Council to see that these buildings are no longer at threat of irreversible damage,  I'm not sure, but someone needs to take action now,” said Mr Vine.

“Of course, all of this could have been avoided if the old Weymouth and Portland Borough Council had done their jobs properly and taken the opportunity, when it was offered to them on a plate, to become a Heritage Action Zone. If they had done so, owners of historic properties within our town would have been obliged to carry out the necessary repairs and grants were also available to help with all of it.

"But W&PBC just sat on their hands and did absolutely nothing.”

Dorset Council say that any action it takes will depends on the condition of the building and the danger it presents to the public, with any work carried out by the council able to be charged to the owners, if it needs to step in.

Said a spokesman: “In the event that the building is not an immediate danger we ensure that appropriate action, such as a structural survey, is being undertaken by the owner. Typically, this leads to remedial work or further monitoring being carried out to safeguard the general public…

“If it is a building that is in decline then we will work and advise the owners to carry out wok to maintain the property. If this does not get the desired response, then Dorset Council can serve a legal notice (a 215 Notice) to force the owners/receivers to maintain the building and make general repairs for improvement. The owner has the right of appeal, and the compliance period is 12 months to carry out the works within the Notice.”

At the moment the council has no record of enforcement action for the former Meech's building, or the former Boots property in the town centre.

The council says that anyone can report a potential enforcement case using the link on the following page of the authority website: Planning enforcement - Dorset Council