Dorset

The 28-year-old man will appear at Poole Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Want to find out the latest on the Weymouth Quay Regeneration Project? Then come along to Weymouth Library and speak to the project team.

A public drop in session will take place on Monday 18 November from 2pm until 7pm.

The drop in takes place from 2pm – 7pm  on Monday 18 November at Weymouth Library

The team will talk you through the initial concept drawing for the scheme. They will also show you the timeline of the project which aims to transform a redundant quayside area of Weymouth.

The Weymouth Quay Regeneration Project aims to sustain and create jobs in Weymouth by:

• delivering a harbour ‘centre of excellence’ building for small-medium enterprises
• improving the harbour’s facilities
• increasing visitor numbers to the area

Here is the timeline  for the project.

Karyn Punchard, Dorset Council Corporate Director for Place Services, said:

“This is a great opportunity for people to find out about the Weymouth Quay Regeneration Project and to give their views on the scheme.

“Anyone with an interest in the outcome of this project should come along to the event on 18 November.”

Weymouth Quay Background

In March 2019 Dorset Council, in partnership with the Weymouth Area Development Trust, was awarded £3.79m of investment from the Government’s Coastal Communities Fund.

The bid was submitted on behalf of Weymouth’s Coastal Communities Team.

Earlier this month, Dorset Council appointed Austin-Smith:Lord as architects for the development.

To stay up to date on this topic and other Dorset Council news, sign up to receive our e-newsletter or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

If you need the concept drawing or timeline in a different format please email us: comms@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

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A woman in her 40s was attacked in Bournemouth's Lower Gardens in the early hours of Wednesday.

Two plans are being talked about for the Dorset Council area, so we’ve put together a short guide below to explain the differences.

The Dorset Council Plan

We are currently asking residents what they think of the draft Dorset Council Plan. It sets out what the council needs to focus on in the next four years to make Dorset a great place to live, work and visit. We have identified our priorities as:

• Economic growth – delivering sustainable economic growth, increasing productivity and the number of jobs in Dorset, creating great places to live, work and visit
• Unique environment – helping to deliver sustainable development whilst protecting and enhancing Dorset’s environment
• Suitable housing –facilitating the availability of more affordable, suitable and decent housing
• Strong, healthy communities – working with residents and partners to build and maintain strong communities where people get the best start and live fulfilling lives
• Staying safe and well – working with all our residents to have a good quality of life

We want to know what you think about the plan, so have your say by 20 December.

The Dorset Local Plan

We have also started work on the Dorset Local Plan.

From 2024, it will guide all building development in Dorset. It will identify sites for homes and business and will include policies to guide decisions on planning applications.

The Local Plan will cover the needs of Dorset residents and businesses through housing, jobs, improving transport networks and actions to reduce the impacts of climate change. It will also take into account the work carried out by the district and borough councils that made up Dorset Council (East, North, Purbeck, West and Weymouth & Portland).

We will work closely with local communities in the coming months to make sure the plan best meets their needs. We’ll be asking everyone in the Dorset Council area for views in late 2020. Keep up-to-date with the plan’s progress or get involved by visiting our web pages.

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Work to repair storm damage on Lyme Regis beach has been successfully completed.

Works to restore Lyme Regis beach have been completed successfully

Dorset Council engineers carried out the works earlier this week (11-12 November). Sand which had been washed away in the recent storm was replaced using two large dump trucks and two excavators.

Rob Clarke, Dorset Council Engineer, said: “I am pleased to say we have now completed the works to reprofile Lyme Regis beach.

“It is now looking much more healthy in terms of flood protection, which it is designed to provide. We expect to carry out works like these as storms do occur and certain wave conditions do create these issues. I would like to thanks residents for bearing with us.”

The works were co-ordinated with Lyme Regis Town Council.

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28 Computer-controlled LED strips have successfully been installed along Weymouth promenade between the Pier Bandstand and the Pavilion. Testing of the Weymouth Promenade Artistic Lighting Scheme completed earlier this week and from today, Weymouth bay will be lit up by a series of lighting programmes inspired by the local community.

The lighting artwork amplifies the natural rhythms of Weymouth; programmed using an astronomical clock, the lights will turn on for 30 minutes each day in time with the rising and setting of the sun. In the evening, the lights will remain on until 11:30pm in the winter and 1am in the summer, they will cycle through 10 unique active scenes that celebrate the elements and activities of Weymouth, with gentle ambient scenes in-between.

Now complete, Dorset Council will be gifting the lights to Weymouth Town Council who will be responsible for operating and maintaining the lights.

Jane Biscombe, Weymouth Town Council Clerk said: “The lights look fantastic in the tests and we’re very much looking forward to the lights becoming a key feature of our town. They’re a great, modern addition to the seafront and are truly unique to Weymouth.”

The Weymouth Promenade Artistic Lighting Scheme is part of Dorset Coastal Connections, a portfolio of 18 connected projects managed by the Dorset Coast Forum, which aim to improve physical, digital and emotional connections to the coast in Dorset, supporting and growing the local economy. The Dorset Coast Forum have engaged extensively with the Weymouth community to feed into the design brief which Bounce Back Arts, as local artistic lead, developed. Local stakeholder knowledge and community feedback have all been taken into account to help build the lighting design with designers Tonkin Liu. Dorset Coastal Connections is a partnership portfolio supported by the Coastal Communities Fund.

The project attracted highly skilled designers and lighting specialists that worked closely with the community, councillors and officers to design and install the new lighting scheme.

Peter Christie, Dorset Council Project Engineer, Assets & Property said: “The collaboration to deliver this partnership project has been fantastic. Following a comprehensive consultation period and development of twelve different lighting scenes designed by Tonkin Liu, Dorset Council and Town Council officers have been working with A.C. Special Projects and Intratest over the past eight weeks. Despite the recent weather challenges we’ve completed the project one week ahead of schedule – and on budget.”

Claudia Moore, Chief Operations Officer at Weymouth BID said: “We Are Weymouth are incredibly proud to have been part of the collaboration that has made this project happen. The designers’ work has been informed by the natural rhythms, heritage and culture of Weymouth and this beautiful and adaptable lighting scheme works well with the technical constraints that they faced.”

Nicky Whittenham, Founding Director for Bounce Back Arts said: “This is a significant project for Weymouth and an important milestone in an ongoing journey to enrich the cultural legacy of the town. As an exciting chapter in the ongoing story of the promenade’s lighting, Tonkin Liu’s scheme will serve to delight and entertain audiences, whilst celebrating the rich heritage of our prom in a simple and contemporary way. Bounce Back Arts is proud to have been involved in this successful collaboration with project partners and thrilled to have helped bring this important and unique public artwork to life. Night-time strolls along the sea front will once more be rich with magic and atmosphere!”

Mike Tonkin, Director for Tonkin Liu said: As a child visiting Weymouth, the seafront was all about the activities and the weather. Tonkin Liu are delighted to be involved in the rejuvenation of Weymouth’s Promenade through the new lighting that celebrates and amplifies the people’s activities and the ever changing weather in the evening’s lighting with a series of scenes that tell stories about the people and place.”

Chris Little, Project Manager for A.C Special Projects Limited said: “A.C. Special Projects is proud to be involved in helping to deliver the Weymouth Promenade Artistic Lighting Scheme. The aspirational scheme utilises lighting in an innovative and creative way which enhances the seafront experience for locals and visitors. At the same time, the discreet installation is respectful of the seafront’s heritage.”

Officers from Weymouth Town Council and Dorset Council are working together to arrange a celebratory event, to be held in December once the general election has taken place. More information will be shared in due course.

The final cost of the project is £265,000, with £200,000 of this provided through a Coastal Communities Fund original grant. Other contributors are Dorset Council (£50,000) and Dorset Coast Forum, Weymouth BID and Weymouth Town Council (£5,000 each).

Coastal Communities Fund

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A consortium including Brittany Ferries has bought the company, which was put up for sale last year.

Dorset is the cleanest place to eat out in Britain – its official!

Dorset Council works with businesses to improve food safety standards.

A new hygiene map has revealed that the Dorchester (DT) postcode area has achieved the top food safety score for eating out.

Restaurants, hotels and takeaways across the area, which includes Weymouth, Bridport, Lyme Regis, Blandford Forum, Beaminster, Sherborne and Sturminster Newton, achieved an average rating of 4.85 stars out of five.

This is according to data gathered by Claims Direct. They collected information from 450,000 food businesses across the UK. They found that the Dorchester postcode area was top, while parts of London scored the worst.

Tamsin Horsler, Dorset Council Food Safety Team Leader, said: “It is great news that Dorset food businesses are the cleanest in the country.

“We work closely with local business offering advice and guidance on food safety and training, as well as carrying out food safety inspections. We have already carried out hundreds of inspections this year. A total of 812 inspections have been done in the Dorchester postcode area since 1 January 2019. Generally standards in Dorset are very high, which is good news for everyone gearing up to enjoy a festive meal out.”

Dorset Council inspects food businesses that supply to customers and rates their hygiene standards. Inspectors usually work with businesses although they can also take enforcement action, such as serve hygiene improvement notices, request the premises close voluntarily or serve a prohibition notice. If necessary the council can also prosecute for food hygiene offences.

The rest of Dorset, the Bournemouth BH postcode area, also scored highly, achieving an average food safety score of 4.71 out of five. This was higher than the national average, which was 4.52.

You can find out the hygiene rating of any Dorset food business.

More information about the work Dorset Council does to improve food safety is available here.

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Striker Harry Wilson says Jurgen Klopp keeps in touch as he impresses for Bournemouth and Wales.

Charities and welfare rights advisers say initial assessments are beset by "poor decision-making".

Police cordon off Bournemouth's Lower Gardens following the attack early on Wednesday.

European Champion Ellie Aldridge is leading a surge in Great Britain's success in the sport of kitefoiling.

An oil spill training exercise will be held in Weymouth next week.

An oil spill training exercise will take place in Weymouth

The exercise will be held on Tuesday 19 November in Weymouth Harbour, near the Ferry Steps.

The Weymouth Harbour Team arranged the event, which is called ‘Exercise Bowser’. It is part of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s three-yearly requirement to test if services and other organisations can respond effectively to a fuel spill.

Keith Howorth, Weymouth Harbour Master, said: “I would like to reassure people that this is just an exercise. It is important that these training exercises are carried out to make sure we are prepared in case the worst occurs. We hope any inconvenience will be minimal.”

Use of the harbour will not be restricted. Harbour users have been asked to be careful near the exercise, which might involve booms and other equipment.

Organisations taking part in the exercise include the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Natural England, the Environment Agency, the Marine Management Organisation,  the Emergency Services, Portland Port, the RSPB, the Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority.  Adler & Allan Ltd Marine Response Team will be running the exercise, on behalf of the Weymouth Harbour Team, who will be taking part.

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Parking permit holders in Weymouth have got two weeks left to have their say and help change conditions for the better.

Over the last five weeks, Dorset Council has been asking residents with permits in Zones A & C in the Park District to get involved and share their views on the future of their permit scheme.

Following a petition by local residents frustrated with parking conditions in the Park District, the council launched a survey to reshape the permit scheme with help from residents.

Residents are being asked to have their say on a range of permit-related questions, including if there should be free permits for ‘green’ vehicles, if they would pay more for a permit that covered parking in a car park, removing one-hour spaces and restricting business parking permits.

Residents are also be asked if they think incremental charges should be brought in, with each additional car permit costing more.

Paul Hutton, Dorset Council Parking Services Manager, said: “We’ve had a relatively good response so far, with over 150 completed surveys, but we really do want to hear from as many people as possible. The results of the survey will directly impact on the future of the residents on-street parking permit scheme in the Park District.

“We know that the main problem in the area is the significant difference in the number of spaces available and the number of people wishing to park their cars. We can’t create additional space on the road, but there are other options available to help better manage the situation.”

For anyone unable to access the online survey, members of the parking services team will be available at the Park District Community Centre, Chelmsford Street from 4pm to 8pm on Tuesday 19 November.

The survey is available until Sunday 1 December.

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The theatre has apologised and says it has since removed the artwork from the dressing room.

The right of way across the Lodmoor Nature Reserve in Weymouth has reopened this morning following completion of maintenance works.

Engineers replaced a failing culvert system to help reduce upstream flood risk. This allows the RSPB to better manage the reserve and meet their objectives set out in the Country Stewardship Agreement by Natural England.

The new infrastructure supports the RSPB’s plans for important ecological work at the reserve. More information can be found here.

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Youth service cuts are a potential cause of rising crime among young people in Dorset, a PCC says.

A police officer who lost £250,000 to gambling says betting firms are ignoring addiction problems.

Dorset Council is seeking the views of local businesses on the council’s vision and strategy for economic growth at a series of Business Breakfast events during November and December.

The events will take place across the council’s area and representatives from businesses of all sizes and all sectors are invited to inform and influence the council on future economic growth and investment opportunities.

There will be an opportunity to meet key council representatives and hear more about how the council’s plans to support businesses in the area.  Business support organisations will also be there to discuss local business needs and networking and a welcoming breakfast are on the agenda too.

The event dates and venues are:

18 November – The Exchange, Sturminster Newton

27 November  – Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy

2 December  – Dorford Centre, Dorchester

5 December – Springfield Country Hotel, Wareham

12 December – Queen Elizabeth’s School, Wimborne

13 December – Amsafe, Bridport

David Walsh, Economic Growth and Regeneration Manager said, “Sustainable economic growth is a key priority for the council and we recognise that this can only be achieved if we are working in partnership with, and with support of businesses and relevant organisations across the area.

The Business Breakfast events offer the opportunity for the council to gain views and responses to our draft Economic Growth Strategy. All the information gathered will then be taken into consideration prior to the final strategy being published in the new year.”

Book your place

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Kevin Sherwood, 38, was arrested when police stopped a vehicle, shooting the driver in the arm.