26th May 2011

WEYMOUTH: Progress continues at Brewers Quay site

BUILDING work could start on a £13 million redevelopment of Weymouth’s Brewers Quay complex in September.

Proposals include up to 28 shops for local and national retailers, an 85-bed hotel, a much larger new home for Weymouth Museum, a restaurant-café and drinking establishment and more than a dozen private and holiday apartments.

Planners granted permission for the scheme in January subject to nearly 20 conditions including one banning any inclusion of a supermarket within the project.

Brewers Quay Investments agreed to this and already have workmen carrying out preliminary checks on the site.

Director Alastair Ross said: “Work is progressing well given the complexity of the situation.

“We have contractors inside the building looking at its structure to ensure it can support what we want to do and digging holes in the floor to check on foundations, all with conservation guidance.

“The scheme itself will include a hotel with more than 80 bedrooms, an agreement for which has been drawn up with a major hotel chain. This is awaiting formal confirmation.”

He added that there would be a large retail presence on the ground floor with more than 20 outlets for national and local retailers from a restaurant to a clothing shop.

On the first floor will be a range of up to eight smaller units in the style of previous Brewers Quay traders with again a mix of national and local retailers.

Mr Ross said: “There will be an exhibition space and this will be available for use by Weymouth Museum and local exhibitors such as Dorset Art Week.

“The Museum will be temporarily transferred to Weymouth Ferry Terminal while work is being carried out at Brewers Quay before it returns to take over a considerably larger space on the first and second floors. There will also be a brewery museum based on the brewing hall.

“The redevelopment will also include a small element of up to nine private residential apartments and five or six holiday let apartments.

“We hope to complete the redevelopment in 2012 and great care is being taken to ensure that this historic building gets a new lease of life.”