BUSINESS owners have been told that Weymouth’s new tower attraction will help to boost trade in the resort.

Work is due to start on the site of the Weymouth Tower at the Pavilion in three months.

Once the groundwork is completed the tower will start to go up in early summer and is on course to be open on July 1, 2012.

Craig Dunkerley, who will manage the 53-metre (174ft) high tower for Merlin Entertainments Group, said it said: “It’s already half built and once it’s done it will go up in three or four weeks.

“It will go from nothing to everything very quickly.”

Speaking at the launch of the Open4Business 2011 Festival, Mr Dunkerley told local business people that the attraction will increase local trade.

“It’s really key for us that it’s part of the town and not a stand-alone attraction.

“There’s an overwhelming sense that the tower will draw people down here. People won’t drive two hours to spend 15 minutes on one experience.

“They will spend the day in Weymouth, they will go on the beach and they will go into town.

“We’re going to be setting up a working group into how the tower can become part of the community,” he said.

Mr Dunkerley said there was a tender process underway for work on the tower and it is hoped that as many local contractors as possible will be used.

“We’ll be employing 20 or 30 people at the height of the summer and we will be open 364 days a year.

“Our opening hours will extend to dusk.

“We are exploring holding corporate events and have all sorts of ideas for the tower.”

The tower will serve an educational purpose, Mr Dunkerley said.

“We will be adding conservation messages to the tower about looking after the coast.

“We’ve been working with the Jurassic Coast team to get that message across.”

Mr Dunkerley added that Merlin was leasing the land for five years.

“In five years’ time we will see where we are.

“The council could take the land back then – we don’t know.

“It gives everybody the flexibility needed so we can unbolt the tower and move it to any city in the world.”

Mr Dunkerley plans to meet with Dorset County Council to discuss ways of linking the tower with Weymouth Sealife Centre, another attraction which is owned by Merlin.

It is hoped that visitors to the tower will use the Weymouth Park and Ride and Mr Dunkerley is calling for the route to be diverted to Lodmoor.

Mr Dunkerley said: “Some of the questions we get asked the most are about parking and we want to direct people to the park and ride but the park and ride doesn’t go to Lodmoor.

“I’m going to be having a conversation with the council to see if it can be diverted there.”

* Andy Cooke, president of the Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce, said the tower was good news for local businesses.

He said: “ It provides yet more reason to spend time in Weymouth.

“If people are coming to the tower and using the park and ride they will be coming to spend time in Weymouth.

Mr Cooke said he thought the tower would have appeal beyond Dorset. He said: “It will prove a talking point and create extra jobs in the area.”