BUSINESSES in Dorchester have raised fears over speculation West Dorset District Council could move to Weymouth if plans to relocate in the town fall through.

A source close to the council has revealed the authority could move its offices out of the county town if plans to move to new offices at the proposed Charles Street development do not go ahead and has voiced concerns over the potential financial implications.

The source said: “In the event of Charles Street not going ahead, West Dorset District Council would have to move somewhere and it’s quite likely that’s Weymouth.

“This, I think, is something that businesses of Dorchester need to sit up and take notice of.

“At the moment there are a small group of people trying to persuade as many members of the public as possible that the Charles Street development, with the council offices as part of it, is a really bad idea.

“Just perhaps they need to think the whole thing through in terms of what the medium and long-term effects will be on Dorchester’s overall prosperity if that is a successful campaign.”

He added: “They have to move somewhere as there are all sorts of problems with the current building. If Charles Street fails and the council decide they have to move somewhere else to find a more appropriate building, whether that’s in Poundbury or Weymouth, either way your losing 330 staff who currently come out every lunch time and spend their money in the shops and businesses of Dorchester.”

Owner of The Fridge delicatessen in the Tudor Arcade Wayne Garnett said: “It would be a loss to us as we have a very big lunch-time wave from the council for sandwiches.”

Bill Burgess from Billy the Fish said: “We have already got the parking restrictions getting rid of shoppers and if we are not going to have the council you will end up with a ghost town.”

West Dorset District Council Chief Executive David Clarke said the council would have to make a decision on whether to carry on with plans to move and Dorchester would be the ‘preferred location’.

He said: “The council would consider its options in the knowledge that it owns the freehold of Charles Street and has previously assessed some 17 alternative sites within Dorchester.”