Over £19.5m awarded to Dorset to fuel Weymouth regeneration
The department for levelling up, housing and communities have given over £19.5m to help fund the regeneration of Weymouth town centre which will pay for key works to support new housing and businesses.
The second round of funding from the levelling up fund saw over £19.5m be awarded to the Weymouth Waterside project. The successful bid is set to focus on three sites for future regeneration.
These include:
- The harbour walls at the Peninsula and North Quay will be repaired and infrastructure installed
- The disused ferry terminal on the Peninsula and local government office at North Quay will be renovated
- Land will be purchased by Dorset Council for future development opportunities
In addition, as a result of receiving a significant lump sum, the work will pave the way for significant future development projects, including a waterfront leisure complex at Weymouth Peninsula to provide new affordable homes.
In a statement, Dorset Council said: ‘The council has long held ambitions to kick start Weymouth’s economy, and demolition of the former council offices at North Quay represents the first step in making those aspirations a reality.
‘We can now press ahead to find the right delivery partner to help us develop plans for the future use of this key waterside location.’
‘Supporting the long-term vitality of Weymouth’s town centre is one of our key priorities,’ the council said. ‘The substantial levelling up funding awarded by government will help us provide much needed homes for local people, create jobs in the construction industry, increase footfall and boost local shops, restaurants and businesses.’
The local authority added: ‘While these schemes will inevitably take some time to come to fruition, we’re delighted that they’re becoming a reality.
‘We look forward to seeing the positive effect this will have on the town in the near future, and for generations to come.’
As well as Dorset’s bid being accepted, other projects that received funding from the government’s levelling up money pot include County Durham, Tyne and Wear, who received £19.5m to help better transport services in the North East.
Against this backdrop, Cornwall secured £50m to help upgrade their travel services and £43.1m was allocated to revamp two London underground station.
Image: Dorset Council
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